Molly Przeworski

Molly Przeworski, PhD , professor of  biological sciences and of systems biology , has received the Distinguished Columbia Faculty Award for exceptional teaching. A leading population geneticist, Dr. Przeworski is one of eight recipients of the annual award, which recognizes faculty across a range of academic activities, including scholarship, University citizenship and professional involvement, with an emphasis on the instruction and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students. 

The recipients this year were presented with the award at an April 11 event held at Columbia’s Italian Academy.

“It is wonderful to see the work we do teaching and mentoring graduate students recognized,” says Dr. Przeworski. “I have been really lucky to attract phenomenal students and postdocs, and find that interacting with them is one of the most rewarding aspects of what I do.”

According to one undergraduate referred to in the award citation, Dr. Przeworski “is definitely one of the best teachers I have ever been taught by.” The student also described her lectures as “well-designed” to build a keen understanding of and active engagement with the material. Columbia also lauded her for helping to launch the first annual New York area meeting in population genetics, successfully connecting researchers of varying career stages.

Dr. Przeworski's work aims to understand how natural selection has shaped patterns of genetic variation, and to identify the causes and consequences of variation in recombination and mutation rates, in humans and other organisms. She is the recipient of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute Early Career Scientist award, the Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator award, the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research award and an Alfred P. Sloan fellowship. 

Columbia’s Distinguished Faculty Awards were established in 2005 following a gift made by University Trustee Gerry Lenfest ’58LAW, ’09HON. Lenfest designated the gift to start a category of awards specifically honoring exceptional teaching in the arts and sciences. 

-Melanie A. Farmer