Remembering Dr. Suzanne Zukin, Former F.M. Kirby Chair in Neural Repair and Protection
It is with great sadness that Einstein has learned Suzanne Zukin, Ph.D., professor emerita in the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, passed away on April 22.
Suzanne completed her undergraduate studies at Bryn Mawr College and began her scientific career as a molecular biologist, doing her dissertation research on protein structure-function relationships with Donald Hollis at Johns Hopkins University, graduating in 1974. She then completed postdoctoral training at UC Berkeley with Daniel Koshland, Ph.D., where she worked on ligand binding and sensory receptors.
Suzanne joined the faculty at Einstein in 1977, in the department of biochemistry. She transitioned to the department of neuroscience, where she ran an active and very productive research group. Suzanne made many contributions to neuroscience, including fundamental insights into glutamate receptor function, ischemia and neuroprotection, synaptic plasticity, epigenetics, and neural bases of fragile X syndrome, autism spectrum disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases. Her work was reported in more than 200 scientific publications. Suzanne was the F.M. Kirby Chair in Neural Repair and Protection and director of the Neuropsychophamacology Center.
Those who worked with Suzanne remember her keen intellect and breadth of knowledge, and her kindness and support of trainees and junior faculty.
Posted on: Friday, April 25, 2025