16. Bruce Stillman

Besides running one of the most important laboratories in the country at Cold Spring Harbor, Dr. Bruce Stillman is a world-renowned cancer researcher who still finds time to conduct experiments and teach. He’s one of the founding members of Accelerate Long Island, a partnership of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory and Stony Brook University to promote high-tech development on the Island, and one of the founders of the New York Genome Center in the city, a consortium of academic, medical and industry leaders from across the globe, which helps to enhance the Island’s position as a powerhouse of biomedical research. As one of the champions of science in the public interest, he’s encouraged thousands of students in our region to gain firsthand knowledge through their participation in the lab’s DNA Learning Center programs, which have been integrated into most of the Island’s middle and high school science curriculum. In recognition of his contributions to the community of scientists as well as his excellence in biological chemistry and molecular biology, Stillman recently won the prestigious Herbert Tabor Research Award from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Through his guidance and support, he’s created a unique place where, his colleagues know, great strides can be taken in furthering our understanding of cancer, neuroscience, genetics and plant biology.