20. Bruce Stillman, Ph.D.

DNA replication, chromatin assembly, yeast genetics—just another day for Bruce Stillman. A Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory staffer since 1979, Stillman is Director of the Cancer Center, whose international award-winning research focuses on how chromosomes are duplicated in cells, a process that ensures accurate inheritance of genetic material from one generation to the next. Taking on the most challenging problems, Stillman leads a group of scientists researching basic biological mechanisms to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, neurological disorders and other diseases. The keynote speaker at Farmingdale State College’s commencement last month, Stillman has taken his knowledge beyond the lab, inspiring the next generation of scientific trailblazers on Long Island. And who better to do it? Our future is literally, in his hands.