Richard A. Murphy
Encyclopedia
Richard A. Murphy is an American neuroscientist who built his career in administrative leadership positions for research institutions. He is known for his leadership at the Salk Institute and at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital at McGill University
.
in 1974. He pursued post-doctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital
in Boston.
and a Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health
and accepted a faculty position in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the Harvard University School of Medicine. He earned acclaim for his teaching and initiated a program of research that centered on the role of neurotrophins in the growth and survival of nerve cells, and in the synaptic activity related to the formation of memories. In 1986 Murphy was recruited as chair of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Alberta
in Canada.
Murphy was recruited to be Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute
, a teaching and research institute of McGill University
. He was the first research scientist to hold that position, which he held from 1992 to 2000. Murphy led the Institute in a period of rapid growth: recruiting 20 new faculty members to build programs in cellular and molecular neuroscience, and constructing a new 26,000 square foot Brain Tumour Research Centre. Murphy left Montreal to become President and Chief Executive Officer of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. During his tenure from 2000 to 2006, he hired 16 new investigators to expand existing research programs in cancer, gene regulation and plant biology, and to build new programs in computational and theoretical biology and stem cell research.
Upon his retirement from the Salk Institute, Murphy served for six months as interim president of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine while the agency recruited a new President. Among his many affiliations, Murphy is a member of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, the Canadian Federation of Biological Societies and is a member of the Advisory Council for the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation, a non-profit organization established by the National Science Foundation
to promote international science collaboration. Based in Boston, Murphy is President of Richard Murphy and Associates, Inc., which provides consulting services to non-profit organizations engaged in medical research or clinical care.
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
.
Early life and education
A native of Massachusetts, Murphy earned his bachelor’s degree in 1966 from the College of Holy Cross and his doctorate in zoology at Rutgers UniversityRutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
in 1974. He pursued post-doctoral training at Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital is a teaching hospital and biomedical research facility in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts...
in Boston.
Career
In 1976 Murphy was awarded a Sloan FellowshipSloan Fellowship
The Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded annually by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation since 1955 to "provide support and recognition to early-career scientists and scholars". This is distinct from the Sloan Fellows in business....
and a Career Development Award from the National Institutes of Health
National Institutes of Health
The National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
and accepted a faculty position in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy at the Harvard University School of Medicine. He earned acclaim for his teaching and initiated a program of research that centered on the role of neurotrophins in the growth and survival of nerve cells, and in the synaptic activity related to the formation of memories. In 1986 Murphy was recruited as chair of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
in Canada.
Murphy was recruited to be Director of the Montreal Neurological Institute
Montreal Neurological Institute
The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital is an academic medical centre dedicated to neuroscience research, training and clinical care. The Institute is part of McGill University and the Hospital is one of the five teaching hospitals of the McGill University Health Centre, in Montreal,...
, a teaching and research institute of McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. He was the first research scientist to hold that position, which he held from 1992 to 2000. Murphy led the Institute in a period of rapid growth: recruiting 20 new faculty members to build programs in cellular and molecular neuroscience, and constructing a new 26,000 square foot Brain Tumour Research Centre. Murphy left Montreal to become President and Chief Executive Officer of the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California. During his tenure from 2000 to 2006, he hired 16 new investigators to expand existing research programs in cancer, gene regulation and plant biology, and to build new programs in computational and theoretical biology and stem cell research.
Upon his retirement from the Salk Institute, Murphy served for six months as interim president of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine while the agency recruited a new President. Among his many affiliations, Murphy is a member of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, the Canadian Federation of Biological Societies and is a member of the Advisory Council for the US Civilian Research and Development Foundation, a non-profit organization established by the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
to promote international science collaboration. Based in Boston, Murphy is President of Richard Murphy and Associates, Inc., which provides consulting services to non-profit organizations engaged in medical research or clinical care.