Dr. Steven A. Farber received his B.S.E.E degree from Rutgers University School of Engineering, M.S. degree from MIT in Technology and Policy, and Ph.D. degree in Molecular Neurobiology also from MIT. His postdoctoral training was in the lab of Marnie Halpern at the Carnegie Institution’s Embryology Department on the Johns Hopkins University Campus where he learned the power of the zebrafish system and pioneered its use for studies of lipid trafficking. In 2000, he started his lab at the Kimmel Cancer of Thomas Jefferson University. In 2004, Farber moved back to the Carnegie as Principal Investigator and Johns Hopkins University Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biology. In 2022, he moved his lab to Johns Hopkins University as a Professor of Biology and Director of the Cell, Molecular, Developmental Biology, and Biophysics (CMDB) graduate program.
Dr. Farber’s laboratory is internationally recognized for his role in establishing the zebrafish for the study the molecular and cell biology of lipids in live cells and organs. The optical clarity of zebrafish larvae allows virtually every cell, tissue and organ to be visualized in the living animal without dissection. His most recent studies identified PLA2G12B as a critical protein for the expansion of APOB-containing lipoproteins. Dr. Farber has authored over 100 refereed publications and was selected as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, is an AAAS Fellow and awarded numerous awards for his outreach efforts most recently the 2020 ASCB Bruce Alberts Award for Excellence in Science Education. In 2002, Farber started a Science Outreach Program (www.bioeyes.org) that utilizes zebrafish to promote science literacy, teach genetics and the experimental process. Its mission is to foster an enthusiasm for science, promote interest for future science careers, and provide opportunities to learn through a hands-on, student-centered approach. One goal of the program is to instill a love for science and science education to all students and teachers regardless of community, income or race. BioEYES has reached over 185,000 children worldwide.
