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The Crick magazine, Autumn 2026

Professor of Molecular Biology

Crick lectures are delivered by leading internationally-renowned scientists from the Francis Crick Institute and elsewhere and cover the full spectrum of biomedical research. They aim to be relatively accessible to scientists in all biomedical disciplines, whilst also offering something for the specialist.

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Bonnie Bassler is Andrew K Golden University Professor of Molecular Biology in the Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University.

Bonnie received a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of California at Davis, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Johns Hopkins University. She performed postdoctoral work in Genetics at the Agouron Institute, and she joined the Princeton faculty in 1994.

Research in the Bassler laboratory focuses on the molecular mechanisms that bacteria use for intercellular communication, a process called quorum sensing. The group’s quorum-sensing investigations combine genetics, biochemistry, structural biology, chemistry, imaging, engineering, and modeling. This comprehensive approach is leading to an understanding of intra- and inter-species communication, self versus non-self recognition, network design features for high-fidelity information transfer, and principles underlying population-level cooperation. Moreover, bacterial pathogens require quorum sensing for infection, so an important practical aspect of the lab’s investigations is the development of anti-quorum-sensing therapies as alternatives to traditional antibiotics.

Bonnie is a passionate advocate for diversity in the sciences and she is actively involved in and committed to educating lay people in science. She has received many awards and honours including a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship in 2002, the Shaw Prize in Life Sciences and Medicine in 2015, and the 2012 UNESCO-L’Oreal Woman in Science award for North America. In 2024, President Biden awarded Bassler the National Medal of Science, the highest award given by the USA to scientists and engineers. Bonnie is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a fellow of the Royal Society.

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