Scientific Achievement

Haoxing Xu (Ph.D. '01) wants to know how cells work.

By understanding how cells sense what's going on around them, he's helping to uncover better treatments for ailments like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and even skin cancer.

Thanks to this groundbreaking work, the scientist who honed his skills in GSU labs has been honored with one of the highest awards a young researcher can receive. In November, Xu, assistant professor of biology at the University of Michigan, was named by President Barack Obama as a recipient of a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers. It's the highest honor given by the U.S. government to scientists and engineers in the early stages of their research careers.

He credits his current achievements in science to the support he received and the training he gained here.

"I was given all the freedom to think like a scientist," Xu explained. "It was at GSU when I developed one of the most important traits of being a good scientist: learning how to deal with frustration and failure."

Key to his research program is understanding how cells use signals to sense what's going on in the environment and how they respond. The insights gained may lead to better drugs with fewer side effects.