As part of the Section on Biological Sciences, Dr. Robert J. Deschenes was elected as an AAAS Fellow for distinguished contributions to the field of molecular cell biology and the use of model genetic systems to elucidate the spatial arrangement of signaling proteins. Dr. Robert J. Deschenes is professor and chair of Molecular Medicine and holds the Fred Wright Endowed Chair in Cancer Biology at the University of South Florida. His work focuses on mechanisms of growth control by cellular oncogenes. Over the years, his group has exploited genetic and biochemical approaches in the yeast system to uncover novel modes of regulation of signaling of Ras family GTPases. The ultimate goal is to uncover new targets for the rational design of new cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Previously, he was chair of Biochemistry at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Purdue University where he worked with Dr. Jack Dixon. He was a Damon Runyan postdoctoral fellow in Molecular Biology at Princeton University where he worked with Dr. Jim Broach and initiated studies on the post-translational regulation of Ras oncogene proteins in the model organism yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. He is a charter member of the National Academy of Inventors.