University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: July 17, 2003

By ARTHUR PAGE
Assistant Vice President

Daniel Fischer, who coordinates the bioinformatics track at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, has been named director of educational programs for the UB Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics.

Fischer also will serve as a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

He is expected to assume his new duties before the end of the year.

As director of educational programs for the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics, Fischer will develop UB's educational programs in bioinformatics at the undergraduate and graduate level, as well as certificate programs. In addition, he will work with the Graduate School of Education to insure that students in the Buffalo area are prepared to work in the new economy. He also will teach and conduct research.

Fischer has been with Ben-Gurion University, where he is a tenured senior lecturer in its Department of Computer Science, since 1998.

He holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico, a master's degree in computer science with honors from Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, and a doctoral degree in computer science with honors from Tel Aviv University in Israel.

Before joining the faculty at Ben-Gurion, Fischer was an assistant researcher in the Molecular Biology Institute at UCLA from 1995-98. He also has worked as a CAD developing engineer with Intel in Haifa, Israel, and as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mathematical Biology at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He has been a consultant for bioinformatics companies.

Fischer's research interests include improving the understanding of life at the molecular level through computational biology or bioinformatics techniques and addressing central questions of protein function, structure and evolution. His work focuses on genomic-scale prediction of protein function, and structure and evolutionary studies of complete genomes.

Gov. George E. Pataki, who in 2001 proposed creation of the UB center and other centers of excellence across New York State to leverage the state's expertise in high technologies, attract new businesses and improve the state's economy, praised Fischer's hiring as an important milestone for the center.

"Our Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics will be the cornerstone of a new economy in Western New York. But in order to succeed, we must have a skilled workforce to make it happen and Daniel Fischer is uniquely qualified to lead that effort," Pataki said. "UB has made an excellent selection in choosing Dr. Fischer to run the bioinformatics education programs. Daniel Fischer is another important part of the team that will help our bioinformatics effort continue to grow and prosper."

Noting that Fischer is a leader in the field, President William R. Greiner said his "expertise and experience will ensure that the center fulfills its promise not only as a regional, state and national locus for cutting-edge research and new economic development, but also as a world-renowned site for the absolute best in bioinformatics education, teaching and scholarship."

"As we continue to develop the center's powerful intellectual and technological resources, this latest in a round of truly outstanding appointments demonstrates that on all counts, UB will be the place to be for bioinformatics in the 21st century, attracting top-echelon candidates—world-class experts—to our university and to Buffalo-Niagara," Greiner added.

"We are grateful to Gov. Pataki, Sen. Hillary Clinton and Rep. Tom Reynolds, and the entire federal delegation for their ongoing and outstanding commitment to the UB Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics. With their support," Greiner said, "the center's extraordinary forward momentum will continue to strengthen our university, our partnerships and our entire region."

Provost Elizabeth D. Capaldi said Fischer will be "a strong leader for educational programming in the Center of Excellence. He will work directly with the faculty and deans at UB and with the other educational institutions in Buffalo to produce degree programs at all levels, certificate programs and preparatory programs to prepare any individual who wishes to participate in the new economy we are building in Buffalo. He is a superb addition to the university."

Fischer was recruited using federal funding for the center acquired by Clinton, Reynolds, Sen. Charles E. Schumer and Rep. Jack Quinn. His salary will be supported by a grant from the Oishei Foundation that also is supporting the salaries of center director Jeffrey Skolnick and two other scientists.

Clinton said that Fischer's experience at Ben-Gurion University "will be a tremendous step in strengthening the bridge between biotechnology and informatics, bringing theory into practice. I am pleased that the funds we helped secure for the UB Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics have enabled the center to appoint someone as experienced as Dr. Fischer. In his role as director of educational programs, he will serve not only UB, but New York, well—producing the educated workforce we need to thrive in this new economy."

Reynolds noted that "UB's Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics continues to attract the best and the brightest, and Dr. Fischer's appointment is further evidence of that fact. His appointment is great news for the university and for our community."

Schumer praised Fischer as "another quality appointment to the bioinformatics team. His selection is another indication of what a world-class institution this is, and we're going to keep fighting tooth-and-nail for it."

Quinn noted that "with the addition of Dr. Fischer to the center, UB will be able to develop an educational program that will continue to propel the program into the future. Dr. Fischer comes highly qualified, and I am confident that he will achieve the excellence that the center is founded upon."

Thomas E. Baker, executive director of the Oishei Foundation, said the foundation "is delighted at the progress that the Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics has been making in the short time that it has been operating. We're especially pleased at the caliber of people who are being attracted to come here to continue building it. This is a key investment by the foundation and a key partnership within the community that eventually will strengthen the region overall."

The Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics will merge high-end technology, including supercomputing and visualization, with expertise in genomics, proteomics and bioimaging to foster advances in science and health care. It will have an equal emphasis on experimental and computational research with a goal of understanding biological function. Scientists will apply this fundamental information toward understanding common, yet complex, diseases. In turn, new drugs to treat disease will be developed through the collaborative efforts of the center and its strategic partners.

The center of excellence is located temporarily at 901 Washington St. Construction of a 107,000-square-foot structure to house the center is scheduled to begin in August. The new building will be located at Ellicott and Virginia streets within the Buffalo Life Sciences Complex on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.