Arthur D. Riggs
Art Riggs is Director Emeritus of the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope in Duarte, CA. He was Chair of the Biology Department, 1982-2001. Dr. Riggs was the founding dean of the City of Hope's now fully accredited graduate school. He received the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Research Award in 1979 for work leading to the bacterial production of insulin. He collaborated with a number of colleagues using chemically synthesized DNA to produce the first man-designed and man-made genes -- the genes for somatostatin and human insulin. He catalyzed the development of the biotech industry, aided by key, dominant patents held by Genentech Inc.
Dr. Riggs is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, 2006. He received his B.A. in Chemistry from University of California at Riverside in 1960 and his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the California Institute of Technology in 1966. His underwent postdoctoral training at the Salk Institute during 1966-1969.