Genetics Society of America
Join a Committee
Interested in making a difference? Let us know if you are willing to serve on a committee or volunteer in another capacity with GSA. Note that all committee members must be GSA members during their service. Send an email to society@genetics-gsa.org letting us know which committees or opportunities you are most interested in and why you would be effective in the role. GSA periodically announces committee vacancies via our email newsletter.
See list of current committees
If you are graduate student or postdoc: consider applying for GSA’s Early Career Leadership and Professional Development Program. Participants serve in our highly active Early Career Scientist committees to propose, develop, and implement initiatives that address unmet needs for the early career scientist community. Participants complete the program with new skills, a network of peers and mentors, and concrete deliverables that demonstrate their abilities.
Serving this subcommittee has helped me expand my personal and professional network and further develop my leadership and organizational skills.
Learn about the Communication and Outreach Subcommittee
Audit Committee
The Audit Committee oversees the annual audit of GSA's financial records and makes recommendations to the GSA Board based on their findings.
Current Members
Pam Geyer, Chair, University of Iowa
Hugo Bellen, Baylor College of Medicine/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute
Judith Kassis, SGE/NICHD/NIH
John Schimenti, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Science
Mary Adams, Staff Liaison
Awards Committee
The Awards Committee reviews nominations for the five Society Awards: Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal, GSA Medal, George W. Beadle Award, Edward Novitski Prize and Elizabeth W. Jones Award for Excellence in Education.
Current Members
Swathi Arur, Chair, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Diana Chu, San Francisco State University
Orna Cohen-Fix, NIH/NIDDK
Pamela Geyer, University of Iowa
Matt Hahn, Indiana University
Leonid Kruglyak, UCLA/Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Detlef Weigel, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology
Shinya Yamamoto, Baylor College of Medicine
Anne Marie Mahoney, Staff Liaison
Bylaws Committee
The Bylaws committee maintains GSA's bylaws and recommends any necessary revisions and updates.
Current Members
Terry Magnuson, Chair, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Swathi Arur, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Cassandra Extavour, Harvard University
Hopi Hoekstra, Harvard University/Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Fred Winston, Harvard Medical School
Mary Van Tyne, Staff Liaison
Conference Childcare Committee
The Conference Childcare Committee recommends ways to better serve primary caregivers at GSA Conferences.
Current Members
Tânia Reis, Chair, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Julie Claycomb, University of Toronto
Sean Curran, University of Southern California
Rhea Datta, Hamilton College
Elisabeth Marnik, Husson University
Thomas Merritt, Laurentian University
Maureen Peters, Oberlin College
Madhumala Sadanandappa, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Gillian Stanfield, University of Utah
Sarah Bay, Staff Liaison
Conferences Committee
The Conferences Committee considers new conference offerings and advises GSA on conference guidelines. They work to identify innovative or emerging topics, increase speaker diversity, and create a Code of Conduct.
Current Members
Steve Munger, Chair, The Jackson Laboratory
Becky Burdine, Princeton University, Molecular Biology
Maitreya Dunham, University of Washington
Lex Flagel
Emily Josephs, Michigan State University
Mustafa Khokha, Yale University
Molly Matty, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Gavin Rice, University of Pittsburgh
Cathy Savage-Dunn, Queens College and the Graduate Center, CUNY
Arun Sethuraman, California State University San Marcos
Kailene Simon, Atalanta Therapeutics
Mariana Wolfner, Cornell University
Suzy Brown, Staff Liaison
Anne Marie Mahoney, Staff Liaison
DeLill Nasser Selection Committee
The DeLill Nasser Selection Committee selects recipients of GSA's DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics. They ensure that the award recipients reflect the diversity of the genetics community by considering applicants' demographics, geographic locations, institution types, and model organism/subject matters.
Current Members
JoAnne Engebrecht, Chair, University of California, Davis
Nick Buchler, North Carolina State University
Clement Chow, University of Utah
Kathy Gould, Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Pam Hanson, Furman University
Ping Hseuh, Academia Sinica
Teresa Lee, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Buck Samuel, Baylor College of Medicine
Jeffrey Thomas, ex officio, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
David Threadgill, Texas A&M University
Paul Trainor, Stowers Institute for Medical Research
Anne Marie Mahoney, Staff Liaison
Early Career Scientist (ECS) Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is composed of the co-chairs of each subcommittee. They meet with the GSA Executive Director and members of the Board of Directors to discuss the direction of the Early Career Leadership Program, as well as share resources and establish collaborative projects between the subcommittees. The Steering Committee provides guidance to the Leadership Program subcommittees and facilitates projects, events, and proposals.
Current Members
Małgorzata Gazda, IBENS
Balint Kacsoh, University of Pennsylvania
Seyma Katrinli, Emory University School of Medicine
Kaushal Kumar Bhati, Université catholique de Louvain
Jiae Lee, University of Washington
Katherine Maniates, Marquette University
Molly Matty (she/her/hers), Salk Institute for Biological Sciences
Adelita Mendoza, Washington University
Karyn Onyeneho, Howard University
Madhumala Sadanandappa, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Jordan Ward, advisor, University of California at Santa Cruz
Early Career Scientist Career Development Subcommittee
The ECS Career Development Subcommittee supports early career scientists as they navigate their career paths, learn about career options, and curate resume-enhancing skills and experiences. Members work together to develop resources that highlight the myriad career trajectories that are possible with a genetics education and research training.
Current Members
Molly Matty, co-chair, Salk Institute for Biological Sciences
Madhumala Sadanandappa, co-chair, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth
Raz Bar-Ziv, member, UC Berkeley
Oindrila De, member, Case Western Reserve University
Antonia De Maio, member, Massachusetts General Hospital
Melissa Drown (she/her/hers), member, University of Miami
Michelle Jonika, member, Texas A&M University
Sourav Kolay, member, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Ankit Sood, member, University of Minnesota
Nicole Torosin, member, Rutgers University
CJ Neely, advisor, Johns Hopkins Medical Institute
Xyanthine Orethia Gilmore Parillon, advisor, University of Houston-Downtown
Early Career Scientist Communication and Outreach Subcommittee
The ECS Communication and Outreach Subcommittee aims to bridge the communication gap between scientific disciplines, as well as between scientists and the public. Members work together to craft informative articles and projects, helping to make new discoveries more accessible among researchers and fostering society’s understanding and appreciation of science.
Current Members
Karyn Onyeneho, co-chair, Howard University
Angel Fernando Cisneros Caballero, interim co-chair, Université Laval
Jacob L Steenwyk, interim co-chair, Vanderbilt University
Carla Bautista Rodríguez, member, Université Laval
Mahlon Collins, member, University of Minnesota
Anna Drangowska-Way, member, University of Virginia
Alida de Flamingh, member, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Karishma Gangwani, member, University of Dayton
Aishwarya Kothari, member, Montana State University
Rachel Meade, member, Duke University
Caitlin Simopoulos, member, University of Ottawa
Riley St. Clair, member, University of British Columbia
Elisabeth Marnik, advisor, Husson University
Stephanie Mohr, advisor, Harvard Medical School
Early Career Scientist Community and Membership Engagement Subcommittee
Members of the ECS Community and Membership Engagement Committee work to address the challenges and concerns of their fellow early career scientists. The Community and Membership Engagement Committee, in cooperation with the ECS Subcommittees, provides helpful resources, gathers important feedback, and creates communications that unite and inform the scientific community.
Current Members
Kaushal Kumar Bhati, co-chair, Université catholique de Louvain
Małgorzata Gazda, co-chair, IBENS
Leire Abalde-Atristain, member, Oregon Health & Science University
Adrien Assie, member, Baylor College of Medicine
Marie Berenguer, member, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Frederick Boehm, member, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Corey A. Calhoun, member, University of Massachusetts Boston
Peren Coskun, member, University of Massachusetts Medical School
Courtney McClure, member, UCLA
JoAnne Engebrecht, advisor, University of California, Davis
Celia Payen, advisor, International Fragrances & Flavors, Nutrition & Biosciences
Early Career Scientist Multimedia Subcommittee
The Multimedia Subcommittee aims to communicate genetics research to a broad audience in an easily accessible format. Members work together to develop their scientific communication and outreach skills by curating multimedia content such as podcasts and infographics.
Current Members
Seyma Katrinli, co-chair, Emory University
Jiae Lee, co-chair, University of Washington
Daniel Baker, member, University of Pennsylvania
Holly Kleinschmidt, member, Penn State University
David Peede, member, Brown University
Ashley Peppriell, member, University of Rochester Medical Center
Ananya Nidamangala Srinivasa, member, University of Kansas Medical Center
Early Career Scientist Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee
The ECS Policy Subcommittee develops useful resources related to career training policy and works to connect members of the scientific community with elected officials and government agencies.
Current Members
Balint Zoltan Kacsoh, co-chair, University of Pennsylvania
Katherine Maniates, co-chair, Marquette University
Abdul-Raman Adamu Bukari, member, University of Manitoba
Jamie Barr, member, University of California San Diego
Albert Hinman (he/him/his), member, Stanford University
Riley Kellermeyer, member, University of Nevada, Reno
Nathaniel Noblett, member, University of Ottawa
Lucero Rogel-Hernandez, member
Sharifu K. Tusuubira, member
Marah Wahbeh, member, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Lynn Marquis, advisor, Coalition for Life Sciences
Education Committee
The Education Committee supports genetics education and education research, in part by reviewing education-related workshop applications and abstracts for GSA conferences.
Current Members
Justin DiAngelo, Chair, Penn State Berks
Nicole Crown, Case Western Reserve University
Maitreya Dunham, University of Washington
Nicole Green, University of Iowa
Julie Hall, Lincoln Memorial University
Teresa Lee, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Te-Wen Lo, Ithaca College
Mary Miller, Rhodes College
Robert Ward, Case Western Reserve University
Erin Suderman, Staff Liaison
Jessica Velez, Staff Liaison
Equity and Inclusion Committee
To help GSA address the needs of its diverse communities, the Equity and Inclusion Committee sets priorities and recommends policies that foster a welcoming, global, and inclusive culture.
Current Members
Noah Whiteman, Chair, University of California, Berkeley
Jessica Aguilar, University of California, Berkeley
Anna Allen, Howard University
Derek Applewhite, Reed College
Andrew Arsham, Bemidji State University
Michael Gonzales
Gustavo MacIntosh, Iowa State University
Shan Meltzer, Harvard University
Alana O’Reilly, Fox Chase Cancer Center
Nadia Singh, University of Oregon
Chiyedza Small, City University of New York, Medgar Evers College
Rebecca Tarvin, University of California, Berkeley
Quan Yuan, National Institute of Health
Sarah Bay, Staff Liaison
Tracey DePellegrin, Staff Liaison
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee acts on behalf of the Board of Directors between Board meetings and reports its actions to the Board, either directly or through the Executive Director.
Current Members
Hugo Bellen, President (2021), Baylor College of Medicine/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute
E. Jane Hubbard, Vice-President (2022), New York University School of Medicine Skirball Institute
Denise Montell, Past President (2020), University of California, Santa Barbara
Erika Matunis, Secretary (2021), Johns Hopkins University
Mike Buszczak, Treasurer (2022), University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Steve Munger, Member at Large (2022), The Jackson Laboratory
Tracey DePellegrin, Staff Liaison
Finance Committee
The Finance Committee advises the GSA Board on the annual budget, the management of Society bank accounts, and other financial matters.
Current Members
Mike Buszczak, Chair, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Hugo Bellen, President (ex officio), Baylor College of Medicine/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute
Denise Montell, University of California, Santa Barbara
Swathi Arur, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Norbert Perrimon, Harvard Medical School/Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Mary Adams, Staff Liaison
Fundraising Committee
The Fundraising Committee leads efforts to attract donations to support GSA's mission, including programs, services, awards, and grants.
Current Members
Denise Montell (GSA Past President), University of California, Santa Barbara
Hugo Bellen (GSA President), Baylor College of Medicine/Howard Hughes Medical Institute/Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute
Swathi Arur, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Jef Boeke, NYU Langone Medical Center
Jay Dunlap, Dartmouth Medical School
Marnie Halpern, Carnegie Institute of Washington
Joseph Heitman, Duke University
Phil Hieter, University of British Columbia
Mark Johnston, University of Colorado School of Medicine
Thomas Kaufman, Indiana University
Jeannie Lee, Harvard University/Massachusetts General Hospital
Terry Magnuson, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Steven Munger, The Jackson Laboratory
Jasper Rine, University of California, Berkeley
Tracey DePellegrin (ex officio)
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee is primarily responsible for the nominating candidates for GSA Board Officers and Directors.
Current Members
Denise Montell, Chair (ex officio), University of California, Santa Barbara
Erika Matunis, Secretary (ex officio), Johns Hopkins University
Folami Ideraabdullah, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Leonie Moyle, Indiana University
C. Brandon Ogbunu, Yale University
Piali Sengupta, Brandeis University
Tracey DePellegrin, Staff Liaison
Mary Van Tyne, Staff Liaison
Public Communication and Engagement Committee
The Committee’s primary task is supporting the production of content relating to GSA's long-term public communication and engagement goals. The content is intended to serve as a resource to support members in their own public communication and engagement activities.
Current Members
E. Jane Hubbard, Chair
Cristy Gelling, Staff Liaison
Publications Committee
The Publications Committee advises the GSA staff and the Editors in Chief of the GSA journals, GENETICS and G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics. The Committee Chair also forms the search committee for new Editors in Chief.
Current Members
DJ de Koning, Chair, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Brenda Andrews, Editor in Chief, G3 (ex officio), University of Toronto, The Donnelly Centre
Howard Lipshitz, Editor in Chief, GENETICS (ex officio), University of Toronto
Tracey DePellegrin, Executive Director (ex officio)
Ruth Isaacson, Staff Liaison