Denise Montell

Denise Montell earned her BA in Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego, and her PhD in Neuroscience from Stanford University, followed by postdoctoral studies at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. She joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins Medical School Department of Biological Chemistry in 1992 and rose through the ranks to Full Professor. At JHUSOM, she also served as the Founding Director of the Center for Cell Dynamics. After 20 years at JHUSOM, she returned to her California roots and joined UCSB as the Duggan Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. Professor Montell’s research focuses on identifying the molecular and genetic mechanisms that drive cellular behaviors such as motility, phagocytosis, and stress resilience to develop novel approaches to the treatment of diseases. Professor Montell is an elected fellow of the American Society for Cell Biology and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has served on advisory councils for NIGMS, the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes. She is a two-time winner of the NIH Director’s Pioneer Award and the recipient of the 2024 E. B. Wilson Award of the American Society for Cell Biology. In 2021 she was elected to the US National Academy of Sciences.