TheBestSchools.org: The 50 Most Influential Scientists in the World Today

David Baltimore is currently Professor of Biology at the California Institute of Technology, where he served as president from 1997 to 2006. He also serves as the director of the Joint Center for Translational Medicine, which joins Caltech and UCLA in a program to translate basic science discoveries into clinical realities.

Baltimore is a graduate of Swarthmore College and Rockefeller University. In 2004, Rockefeller University gave Baltimore an honorary Doctor of Science.

In 1975, at the young age of 38, David Baltimore was the recipient of the Nobel Prize, along with Howard Temin ['55] and Renato Dulbecco. They were awarded the prize for their discoveries concerning the interaction between tumor viruses and the genetic material of the cell. One of Baltimore's most significant contributions was in virology, for his discovery of the protein reverse transcriptase, essential for the reproduction of retroviruses such as HIV.

In 1999, President Bill Clinton awarded Baltimore the National Medal of Science for his prodigious contributions to science. He has had a profound influence on national science policy, spanning everything from stem cell research to cloning to AIDS.

Baltimore is past president and chair of the American Association of the Advancement of Science (2007-2009). He was recently named a Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Baltimore has published 680 peer-reviewed articles. His recent research focuses on the control of inflammatory and immune responses, on the roles of microRNAs in the immune system, and the use of gene therapy methods to treat HIV and cancer.

He is also a member of numerous scientific advisory boards, including the Broad Institute, Ragon Institute, Regulus Therapeutics, and Immune Design. ...

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David Baltimore '60, who majored in chemistry at Swarthmore, was a co-recipient of the 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine with Howard Temin '55. He received an honorary doctor of science degree from the College in 1976. In 2007, The David Baltimore/Broad Foundation Endowment was established by a grant from the Broad Foundation at Baltimore's request. This fellowship is awarded to a Swarthmore student doing summer research in the natural sciences or engineering, with a preference given to a student engaging in mentored off-campus laboratory research.