Bonnie Bassler, whose pioneering research on the molecular mechanisms used by bacteria for intercellular communication has shown lifesaving potential, has been named University Professor, Princeton’s highest honor for faculty.

Bassler’s appointment as the inaugural Andrew K. Golden University Professor is effective Sept. 29. As the Squibb Professor in Molecular Biology since 2007 and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator since 2005, she has been widely recognized for her research in quorum sensing, a process that allows bacteria to communicate using secreted chemical signaling molecules called autoinducers. 

Bassler was awarded the National Medal of Science earlier this year “for paving the way to develop novel therapies to combat bacteria,” according to a press release. The award citation commended her work establishing bacteria as social organisms with a widespread signaling system for communicating, stating, “Her revolutionary research opens a gateway to solving biological puzzles that can save lives.”

“Bonnie Bassler demonstrates a rare versatile excellence that our University cherishes: She is an outstanding researcher whose impactful work has advanced science and earned international renown; a proven academic leader at Princeton and in the broader scholarly community; and a celebrated teacher whose dedication to students is unwavering and profound,” said Dean of the Faculty Gene A. Jarrett.

“I am delighted by this honor and deeply grateful to Princeton University,” Bassler said. “My entire career has been here. The Department of Molecular Biology took a chance and hired me at the very inception of my research field, before there was broad evidence that the research was going anywhere meaningful. Year after year, spectacular students and postdocs have joined my lab, made surprising discoveries, and advanced the field.” 

She continued: “I have generous colleagues who are my friends. Teaching Princeton undergraduates has been perennially satisfying. Tackling challenging administrative initiatives has deepened my bond to the University community. For all these reasons, I feel especially lucky to be here, and this newest honor confirms that.”

Bassler joined Princeton’s faculty as an assistant professor in 1994. She was named associate professor in 2000, and a full professor in 2003. Her laboratory, the Bassler Lab, aims to understand how bacteria detect multiple environmental cues, and how the integration and processing of this information results in the precise regulation of gene expression. 

From 2013 to 2025, Bassler served as chair of Princeton’s Department of Molecular Biology, and she directed the molecular biology graduate program from 2003 to 2008. She is also a former director of Princeton’s Council on Science and Technology from 2008 to 2013, which has revamped the science curriculum for humanists.

Among the many distinguished awards Bassler has received for her groundbreaking research are the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, Shaw Prize in Life Science and Medicine, Canada Gairdner International Award, Princess of Asturias Award from the Spanish Crown, Max Planck Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences, Genetics Society of America Medal, Gruber Prize, Albany Prize, L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Award, and a MacArthur “genius grant.” In 2024, she was named to Forbes’ 50 Over 50 list.

Bassler also has received notable honors for her teaching including the Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award and the National Association for Biology Teachers Distinguished Service Award. In 2008, she received Princeton University’s President’s Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Bassler is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Medicine and American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She was elected to the American Philosophical Society, Royal Society and EMBO, and she is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she served on the board of directors. Bassler served as president of the American Society for Microbiology from 2010 to 2011 and chair of the American Academy of Microbiology Board of Governors from 2011 to 2014. She also was a member of the National Science Board. 

Bassler holds a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of California-Davis, and a doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. 

Princeton currently endows 25 University Professorships. University Professors are recognized for demonstrating scholarly preeminence in their professional accomplishments, as well as making exceptional contributions to the University’s research and teaching community.

The Andrew K. Golden University Professorship was endowed by a small group of donors to honor Golden, who was president of the Princeton University Investment Company (PRINCO) from 1995 to 2024.