After 47 years at Duke, Jack D. Keene, PhD, the James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, retired on July 1, 2026, and was appointed emeritus professor.
A symposium last month celebrating Keene's career brought together former trainees, colleagues, and friends to recognize his scientific contributions, leadership, and mentorship. Throughout his tenure at Duke, Keene served as chair of the Department of Microbiology, led basic science efforts for what is now the Duke Cancer Institute, and founded the Center for RNA Biology. Many of his former trainees have gone on to distinguished careers in academia, industry, and medicine.
Keene’s research helped define how RNA and RNA binding proteins coordinate gene expression and cellular function as a dynamic, post transcriptional layer of regulation. His laboratory made pioneering contributions to virology, including some of the first genomic sequencing studies of rabies, Ebola, and Marburg viruses. Later, his work advanced the field of RNA biology by showing that RNA binding proteins organize cohorts of functionally related mRNAs into post transcriptional “RNA operons” and regulons, an analogy to bacterial operons that helped establish the field of “ribonomics,” a systems-level approach to studying RNA regulation.
Colleagues at the symposium reflected on Keene's lasting impact as a scientist, mentor, and leader whose work continues to influence research in RNA biology, cancer, neuroscience, and infectious diseases.
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Jack Keene, PhD, and his family -
Jack Keene, PhD, and Matthias Gromeier, MD, PhD -
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