Testimonials for Pioneer Member Sabeeha Merchant

Guillaume Chanfreau – Sabeeha has been an inspiring mentor for students, postdoctoral researchers and she has been a role model for young faculty. As such, I have benefited tremendously from her mentorship and friendship when I was hired at UCLA as an Assistant Professor. She made a strong impact on my scientific career and she inspired me to explore the fascinating area of metals in gene regulation. I can say without hesitation that some of the most original work that came out of my research lab would not have happened without Sabeeha’s mentorship. Her work has provided some of the most exciting contributions in the fields of genomics, metalloproteins and metals in biology — thank you, Sabeeha!

Catherine F Clarke – Congratulations Sabeeha on being a Pioneer of the ASPB! Your inspiring research and support of young colleagues and students has enriched and enlarged the community of scientists.

David Eisenberg – Sabeeha Merchant has been a marvelous colleague: creative, extremely well organized, outgoing, positive, and supportive. As our Institute Director, she was innovative and budget-minded. We miss her at UCLA, and treasure our continuing interactions with her. Congratulations, Sabeeha!

Arthur Grossman – Sabeeha is one of the most meticulous, productive and generous scientists I know and with whom I have interacted for many years on a number of different projects. We probably got to know each other best when we were working together on Chlamydmonas genome projects (when most annotation was manual), which was done mostly in Los Angeles, but also at times at Stanford. It was then that I began to thoroughly appreciate her excellent taste in food and wine.

Gregg Howe – Sabeeha: Thank you for your guidance, support, and unfettered advice over the years. Looking back, my serendipitous decision to join your lab as a graduate student turned out to be a defining point in my career. I’m most grateful for your many lessons on scientific rigor and giving me the opportunity to discover the world of biochemistry (and even a bit of chemistry!), all cloaked in the fascinating biology of heavy metal use by a tiny green cell. Your inspiring mentorship to many must surely rank as one of the most enduring legacies of a long and illustrious career. Thank you for being the scientific “Mom” who helped to instill in me the confidence to believe that, yes, I can do this. -Gregg

Donald McCarty and Karen Koch – Sabeeha is a great friend, and because she was a year ahead of me, an influential mentor when we were lab-mates in graduate school at the U. of Wisconsin in the 1980’s. Then and now, Sabeeha is admired for her intelligence, dedication, sharp wit and sense of humor. This Pioneer recognition is well deserved.

Jeffrey Moseley – Sabeeha is a force of nature, and an amazing scientist, mentor and person.

Stacie Nakamoto – Prof. Merchant’s guidance was essential for my growth as a scientist. She was a great mentor – doing experiments along side her students when necessary, but always giving us the freedom and encouragement to think for ourselves.

James Umen – I am especially grateful to Sabeeha for her support early on in my career as a new Assistant Professor, and as I transitioned between jobs. She was generous with time and resources, and fostered collaborations with my lab that led to some of the most impactful work we have done. She continues to be a model for and inspiration to young plant scientists.