BlackburnDr. Elizabeth Blackburn discovered the unique nature of telomeres and telomerase. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 with two colleagues for their discovery of telomeres and their role in the aging process. Dr. Backburn is currently president of the Salk Institute. She was elected president of the American Society for Cell Biology (1998) and president of the American Association for Cancer Research (2011). She was also awarded the Albert Lasker Medical Research Award in Basic Medical Research (2006). In 2007 she was named one of TIME magazine's 100 Most influential People. Read More Read Less