Education
Born in Chicago and raised in Danville, California, Bassler received a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of California, Davis and a Doctor of Philosophy in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University.
Born in Chicago and raised in Danville, California, Bassler received a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from the University of California, Davis and a Doctor of Philosophy in biochemistry from Johns Hopkins University.
She has been a professor at Princeton University since 1994. In 2002, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship. She made key insights into the mechanism by which bacteria communicate, known as quorum sensing.
Bassler was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2006. She was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2007. In 2008, she received a special recognition from the World Cultural Council. Bassler has been nominated by the American Society for Microbiology to be one of the United States of America Science and Engineering Festival"s Nifty Fifty Speakers who will speak about her work and career to middle and high school students in October 2010. The Nifty Fifty is a collection of the most influential scientists and engineers in the United States, that are dedicated to reinvigorating the interest of young people in science and engineering. Bonnie Bassler was named 2012 L"Oréal-United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Foreign Women in Science Awards Laureate for North America. In 2015 she and Everett Peter Greenberg of the University of Washington were awarded the Shaw Prize in Science and Medicine "for elucidating the molecular mechanism of quorum sensing, a process whereby bacteria communicate with each other and which offers innovative ways to interfere with bacterial pathogens or to modulate the microbiome for health applications.".
Royal Society; National Academy of Sciences. American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
