David R. Schubert, PH.D.

Professor and Chair, Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory
The Salk Institute for Biological Studies (La Jolla, California)

David Schubert, Professor and Head of the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory, is interested in understanding the molecular basis of nerve cell death and developing drugs that block nerve cell death in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and other age-associated brain disorders. The focus of the drug development program is the use of biologically active natural products, compounds that occur normally in plants, as a starting point for the synthesis of chemical derivatives that are more potent and have better pharmacological properties than the plant product. His lab also works on amyloid protein, a toxic substance that accumulates in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. In addition to his laboratory work, Schubert is a member of San Diego County Science Advisory Board, a group that advises the Board of Supervisors on science-based issues. He is also a frequent contributor to the Union-Tribune editorial page on the subject of science policy. Schubert received a B.A. in Chemistry/Biochemistry from Indiana University and a Ph.D. in Cell Biology from the University of California, San Diego, with Postdoctoral work in Cell Biology/Genetics at Institut Pasteur in Paris, France.