Huntsville, Ala. – Dr. Chris Gunter will join the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology as director of research affairs. This new position provides broad support for HudsonAlpha’s existing and emerging research programs, particularly focusing on federal research funding and outreach to the scientific community. Among duties, Gunter will prospect, coordinate and review large grant projects, while also providing editorial assistance to investigators and staff. Outreach activities will support recruitment efforts and will also establish a seminar and conference schedule for the HudsonAlpha Institute.

Gunter will work closely with Dr. Richard M. Myers, HudsonAlpha director, to raise awareness about HudsonAlpha and its research programs on a national level. “Chris Gunter is a valuable addition to the team we’re building at HudsonAlpha,” noted Myers. “Her years of experience as an editor at Nature, together with her academic training in genetics and genomics, provide an unusual combination of talent that we can leverage in supporting our research, as well as education programs.”

“Dr. Chris Gunter’s background in human genetics, skills in communication, knowledge of contemporary genetics research and outgoing personality, make her an ideal member of the HudsonAlpha Institute,” concurred Dr. Jan Witkowski, executive director of the Banbury Center at New York’s Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

For Gunter, HudsonAlpha represents a unique opportunity that combines genetics and genomics research with cutting-edge biotechnology resources. “This area of science is in the public view more than ever before and I am excited to contribute to the institute’s mission. I look forward to showcasing the work of current HudsonAlpha investigators and recruiting even more world-class scientists."

Gunter will relocate this summer to Huntsville from Philadelphia, where she is based to accommodate her current positions as a senior editor for the journal Nature and an adjunct assistant professor of genetics at the University of Pennsylvania.