Whitehead Institute welcomes Ron Vale as its newest Member

Ron Vale, a world-renowned cell biologist who is an expert on motor proteins and cell transport systems, joins Whitehead Institute this December as a Member. In addition to this appointment, Vale is a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator and will join the MIT Department of Biology faculty. 

"It's very clear that Whitehead Institute contains a group of scientists who are deeply interested in one another's research, who form a close-knit and collaborative community, one with a strong training ethos," Vale says. "I think those qualities make for a wonderful place to work, and an amazing environment to do great science." 

Vale is currently a Senior Group Leader and Co-Director of the 4D Cellular Physiology Program at the HHMI Janelia Research Campus in Ashburn, Virginia. Previously he served as Janelia's Executive Director and HHMI Vice President. From 1986 to 2020, Vale was a faculty member at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). 

"Ron's scientific acumen and ingenuity, coupled with his passion for fostering accessibility and open access in science, will make him an outstanding addition to Whitehead Institute's and MIT’s community of researchers," Whitehead Institute President and Director Ruth Lehmann says. "We're eager for him to join our shared mission of forging new frontiers in science." 

For nearly four decades and counting, the Vale lab has studied how proteins and larger structures called membrane organelles are actively transported in cells. During his graduate studies, Vale discovered the protein kinesin, which acts as a molecular "motor," taking energy from ATP and converting it into motion. Kinesin and its counterpart, a protein called dynein, transport cargo across the cell by "walking" along thin, pipe-like structures called microtubules. These cellular shipping routes are continuously constructed and demolished within the cell, providing flexibility in where molecules are delivered. Vale has continued to work on these motor proteins, further elucidating their structure and function.

"What makes a cell tick is ultimately not its DNA. The DNA is an instruction manual to make proteins, which are very intricate machines that carry out the work and functionality of cells," Vale says. "There's a busy distribution and transport network happening inside cells. These motors get goods from places where they're made, to places where they're needed." 

In order to observe these miniscule structures in action, the Vale lab has developed a suite of new methods, including ways of imaging single molecules in motion, protein conformational changes, and protein interactions inside of living cells. His work also has incorporated cutting-edge high-resolution technologies, such as cryo-electron tomography. 

"Ron is exceptional in many ways — not only as a scientist, but as a mentor to his trainees, and an advocate for accessibility in science," says Ankur Jain, who was once a postdoc in the Vale lab at UCSF, and is now a Whitehead Institute Member. "We're thrilled to welcome him to Whitehead Institute." 

Vale sees his move to Whitehead Institute as an opportunity for reinvention. "I'm looking forward to having some unsculpted clay — to developing something new that need not be a replica of the past," Vale says. "You don't want to be too prescriptive of what you plan to work on. I want to give people in my lab agency to ask new questions." Vale expects his research to grow and be shaped in part by budding collaborations with his new colleagues at Whitehead.

In line with the Institute's vision of resilience as one its research themes, Vale is interested in expanding his work to study how proteins function under different conditions and stressors, such as bouts of extreme heat or cold, or changes in water availability. "Mammals maintain a constant body temperature, but many organisms have to adapt their biochemistry to a wide range of the environmental conditions to which they are exposed," Vale says. "When the temperature changes, the cell must also adapt and keep chugging along, but there is much to be learned about how this really works." Advanced imaging techniques present a new opportunity to answer this type of question more precisely, by peering into cells and observing the behaviors of proteins in their native environment under different environmental conditions. These studies might provide insights into how organisms can adapt, or possibly might fail to adapt, to temperature extremes and drought that confront life on this changing planet.

Complementary to his scientific achievements, Vale has also been a champion of education and open access in science. In 2006 he founded iBiology, a platform that produces free videos covering biology concepts in an in-depth, approachable manner. Vale also founded the Explorer's Guide to Biology, a resource that tells stories about discoveries to teach biology and the scientific process; HHMI's Beautiful Biology, a repository of images that capture the natural world in stunning microscopic detail; and IndiaBioscience, a mentoring network for Indian scientists.

“I’m particularly excited about Ron’s skills as an educator and his commitment to sharing knowledge about biology and how discoveries are made with students across the globe,” says Amy Keating, the Jay A. Stein (1968) Professor of Biology, Professor of Biological Engineering, and head of the MIT Department of Biology. "Ron has pioneered many important programs in this space and is already engaged with MIT Open Learning in considering issues such as how to provide education at the interface of biology and artificial intelligence.”

In the name of increasing accessibility, Vale co-founded ASAPbio, a nonprofit that aims to reform science publishing and increase its transparency. The Vale lab also developed MicroManager, open-source software for controlling light microscopes that is used in labs around the world.

"Knowledge is a global good. Many people are not given the opportunity to understand the process of science. We create barriers to accessing science. Now is an important time to meet the challenge of reaching people, exciting them about the wonder of life and the importance of scientific research," Vale says. 

As part of his appointment, Vale will serve as Faculty Lead in Biology Education for MIT Open Learning. The platform provides courses that are developed and taught by MIT faculty, available to learners worldwide. As Faculty Lead, Vale plans to expand the site's current offerings, creating even more biology resources that are accessible. 

Vale notes that he's drawn to Whitehead Institute in part because of its just-right number of people and labs: it's small enough to feel personal, but large enough to contain ample resources for its researchers. Says Vale, "the community of scientists here at Whitehead is really very special."