Dr. Lucien E. Weiss

Dr. Weiss received his Ph.D. in chemistry from Stanford University. In his graduate work, he developed customized microscopes capable of detecting and tracking individual molecules in living cells using fluorescence.

With collaborators in the biology department, Dr. Weiss applied these ultrasensitive techniques to investigate the Hedgehog signaling pathway – a critical mechanism that helps give rise to the spatial patterning in developing embryos, but has also been identified as a key culprit in up to 25% of cancer deaths. This collaboration led to the discovery of distinct behavioral changes that occur in the motions of individual proteins on the surface of cells, thereby helping elucidate what it means for the pathway to be active or inactive.

At the Technion, Dr. Weiss joins the lab of current Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program Faculty Scholar Yoav Shechtman to develop methods that will more accurately measure molecular interactions. Professor Shechtman says, “Weiss will be an incredibly valuable addition to the lab, bringing in a broad range of expertise.”

Colleagues speak of his enthusiasm and rich interdisciplinary approach spanning not only chemistry and microscopy, but neuro-, cell, and cancer biology as well.  He himself believes that building scientific collaborations between the United States and Israel strengthens opportunities for everyone and promotes a more stable and interconnected world.