Leadership
Richard P. Woychik, Ph.D.
President and Chief Executive Officer
A world-renowned geneticist with a background in both academia and industry, Rick Woychik came to The Jackson Laboratory in 2002, but his deep connections to the Laboratory began nearly two decades ago. He served on the Laboratory’s Board of Scientific Overseers, and achieved his own research breakthroughs using JAX® Mice. His career has included positions at Lynx Therapeutics; the Parke-Davis Laboratory of Molecular Genetics; the genetics, pharmacology and pediatrics departments at Case Western Reserve University; and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Dr. Woychik holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. The author of more than 80 published scientific papers and recipient of many awards, Dr. Woychik's wide-ranging research interests include the molecular genetics of obesity and insulin-dependent diabetes, hearing loss and polycystic kidney disease.
Robert Braun, Ph.D.
Associate Director and Chair of Research; Professor
Bob Braun, a distinguished scientist in the field of reproductive genetics, joined The Jackson Laboratory in 2007 after more than 20 years at the University of Washington School of Medicine, where he served as professor of genome sciences and as director and co-director, respectively, of two different University programs in reproductive biology research. Dr. Braun earned his undergraduate degree in molecular, cellular and developmental biology, chemistry and mathematics at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and his Ph.D. in the Tufts University School of Medicine department of microbiology. The recipient of many honors and awards, Dr. Braun has also been a visiting scientist at the Medical Research Council in England and, in 2001-2002, at The Jackson Laboratory.
Leah Rae Donahue, Ph.D.Director of Genetic Resource Science; Senior Research Scientist
A researcher renowned for her work in bone density and craniofacial defects, Leah Rae Donahue also directs The Jackson Laboratory’s Genetic Resource Science unit. The GRS team develops and distributes new mouse models of human diseases and other innovative research tools to the worldwide scientific community. Dr. Donahue, who holds undergraduate, M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Maine, came to the Laboratory in 1992 following research and practice in human nutrition; she is still a registered dietician with the American Dietetic Association and is a member of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and International Mammalian Genome Society.
Charles E. Hewett, Ph.D.
Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Chuck Hewett, a Maine policy leader and executive with a background in state government, energy systems management and international pharmaceutical development, directs The Jackson Laboratory’s JAX® Mice & Services as well as institution-wide operations. Dr. Hewett came to The Jackson Laboratory in March 2004 after six years as vice president, secretary and clerk of Cianbro Companies of Pittsfield, a $300 million infrastructure construction company. Dr. Hewett’s experience includes serving as chief operating officer for the State of Maine executive branch during the first three years of Governor Angus King's administration, and he was founding CEO and managing director of Hafslund Nycomed’s Irish subsidiary, manufacturer of x-ray and magnetic resonance imaging contrast media to improve soft-tissue imaging. He holds a B.A. from Williams College and M.F.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University.
Michael E. Hyde, M.Ed.Vice President for Advancement and External Relations
Before joining The Jackson Laboratory in 2006, top fundraising professional Mike Hyde was vice president for university relations at Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y., where his achievements include completing an $82.6 million campaign and launching a $150 million drive with two eight-digit gifts, building the institution's national visibility, and creating a private corporation to rebuild the Alfred downtown business district. His responsibilities include oversight of Jackson Laboratory fundraising, communications and marketing, and government relations. Mr. Hyde holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Missouri, Columbia. His early professional life was in academic advising and career counseling, first at his alma mater, then at Columbia College in Columbia, Mo., the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, and Adrian College in Adrian, Mich.
Linda Jensen, M.S.Chief Financial Officer
Linda Jensen, a senior executive with extensive experience in organizational and project financial management, came to The Jackson Laboratory in 2005 from Select Energy Services, Inc., where she served as vice president for finance. At the multi-office engineering firm (a subsidiary of Northeast Utilities, a $6 billion utility holding company), Jensen's projects included structured finance for federal, state and local government clients, as well as health care and educational institutions. Ms. Jensen's career also includes financial positions with Century III, Inc., Health Systems, Inc., and the multinational Boston Consulting Group, Inc. She holds a B.B.A. from the University of Michigan School of Business Administration and an M.S. from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Barbara B. Knowles, Ph.D.Vice President for Training, Education and External Scientific Collaborations; Professor
Research pioneer Barbara Knowles was an investigator at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia from 1967 until she came to The Jackson Laboratory in 1993. In 1978, she co-discovered an antibody to SSEA-1 (Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigen 1) with colleague Davor Solter, M.D., Ph.D., which was later incorporated into an imaging agent called NeutroSpec™ and approved by the FDA for detecting appendicitis. Today, Dr. Knowles studies breast cancer and explores the genetic control and molecular mechanisms at play during the oocyte-to-embryo transition. Besides her leadership role at The Jackson Laboratory, Dr. Knowles is a presidential professor at the University of Maine, a co-director of the Institute for Molecular Biophysics, an external scientific member of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology, and a member of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science.
