Rubinstein Named Chief of CSR Review Group

Dr. Amy Rubinstein

The Center for Scientific Review has selected Dr. Amy Rubinstein as new chief of the oncology 1 basic translational integrated review group. 

She has been scientific review officer for CSR’s gene and drug delivery systems study section, which reviews grant applications across several institutes, with over a third focusing on cancer research.

“We are pleased that Dr. Rubinstein will take charge of this key review group,” said CSR director Dr. Richard Nakamura. “Since coming to CSR in 2008, she has proven to be a remarkable leader and mentor.”  

He noted that she excelled as CSR’s coordinator for the review of Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer applications, co-chair of the trans-NIH SBIR shorten-the-cycle committee and leader of CSR’s assessment of direct ranking and half-point scoring as alternatives to the current system for scoring grant applications.     

Rubinstein earned a Ph.D. in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, studying the molecular genetics of pollen development in maize. She did her postdoctoral research at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, where she used the zebrafish model to advance research in multiple therapeutic areas, including angiogenesis in the context of cancer therapy. Rubinstein then helped form a start-up biotechnology company (Zygogen, LLC), which worked to design zebrafish assays for drug discovery. During her tenure there, she served as director and vice president of research.