About Robert Briggs

Robert W. Briggs' innovative contributions to developmental biology during his 40-year research career provided the groundwork for research on cloning metazoan animals and the genetic control of pattern development.

His work can be divided into four periods: (1) characterization of tumor growth in the developing frog—recognizing the importance of the behavior of tumors in the organization fields operative in developing systems, (2) the role of the nucleus in development, (3) the development of the technique of amphibian nuclear transplantation, and (4) the establishment of amphibian developmental genetics.

One of his many notable accomplishments came in 1952 when Briggs and his collaborator, Thomas King, pioneered and perfected the technique for nuclear transplantation, cloning a frog by nuclear transfer of embryonic cells.

While at IU (1956-1983), Briggs' research program on the effect of maternal gene products in the oocyte on the development of the embryo of the Mexican axolotl (a salamander) revealed how maternal gene products control early pattern formation. His studies on maternal genes gave direction to later molecular genetic research of others in Drosophila, Xenopus, zebrafish, chordates, and invertebrates.

Robert Briggs was elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1960) and the National Academy of Science (1962). Among many other honors, he was awarded the prestigious Charles-Leopold Mayer Prize of the Academy of Sciences, Institute of France (1973).

Allie Smith is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Professor Justin Kumar's lab studying cell fate determination during development through ectopic eye generation in Drosophila melanogaster. Allie has taught BIOL-L 113 Biology Laboratory every year alongside Senior Lecturer Karen Whitworth and Lecturer Alissa Anderson. Allie is the co-founder of the Biology LGBTQ+ group at IU, co-host of the “Is This Science?” podcast, science advocate with the American Society of Microbiology, an op-ed writer for the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and co-running the science portion of associate instructor orientation this fall with IU CITL (Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning) as part of the GTAP (Graduate Teaching Apprenticeship Program) completion. After their time at IU Bloomington, Allie plans to do a postdoctoral fellowship and teach at a primarily undergraduate institution or enter directly into a lecturer position.