Lei Named NIGMS Division Director

Dr. Ming Lei

Dr. Ming Lei recently joined NIGMS as new director of its Division for Research Capacity Building.

DRCB includes four programs: Institutional Development Awards, Native American Research Centers for Health, Science Education Partnership Awards and Support of Competitive Research. The division supports research, training, faculty development and infrastructure improvements in states that historically have not received significant levels of NIH funding. It also supports faculty development at institutions that serve students from underrepresented groups, research and research capacity building directed by Native American and Alaska Native tribal organizations and science education that improves life-science literacy.

Lei, a molecular geneticist, was previously deputy director of the Center for Cancer Training and chief of the Cancer Training Branch at NCI. Prior to joining NCI as a program director in 2008, he was leader of the genes and genome cluster in the division of molecular and cellular biosciences at the National Science Foundation from 2006 to 2008. He was an associate professor of microbiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin from 1999 to 2008. Lei also served as a research scientist in the division of biotechnology at Monsanto Corp. in St. Louis from 1998 to 1999.

Lei earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Cornell University, where he also conducted postdoctoral research. His honors include an Award of Appreciation for Outstanding Contributions from the American Association for Cancer Education and several NIH merit awards.

“I’m excited to join NIGMS and I look forward to working with a broad range of stakeholders to strengthen the nation’s biomedical research capacity,” said Lei.