Meet Our People

SRI's innovative thinking depends directly on the people who work here. Meet members of our team in Computing and Engineering, Chemistry, Physics and Materials, Drug Discovery, Drug Development, and Health, Economics and Education, Business Development, and Administration and Corporate Activities, and learn why they joined SRI—you may discover that you would like to join the team, too. Visit Careers @ SRI for descriptions of current openings.

Meet Mary Ann Greco, Program Director, Behavioral Biochemistry, Biosciences Division

Focus @ SRI:
My research focuses on the biochemical basis that underlies simple behaviors such as sleep. While we know that sleep occurs from the interactions of signaling molecules in many brain regions, we still do not know the biological functions of sleep. One important result of this lack of information is that we are poorly equipped to treat people (more than 70 million in the U.S. alone) with sleep disorders.

Day in the Life @ SRI:
My days are varied. I sometimes spend weeks in our state-of-the-art sleep lab conducting behavioral studies. I compile data and write grants and papers. Some days I am able to do enzyme assays in the wet lab. In addition, I serve on several committees throughout SRI and am participating in the new Center for Independent Aging. With researchers in the Biosciences and Information and Computing Sciences Divisions, I am developing predictive models of sleep and new programs in computational and systems biology.

Before SRI:
I spent seven years as a faculty member at the VA Medical Center at the Harvard Medical School, doing studies on sleep biochemistry. Prior to that, I was at Massachusetts General Hospital, where I was an Instructor in Biochemistry and studied the terminal differentiation of human skin. I was a Research Associate at Baylor College of Medicine and at Bristol Myers/Squibb, where I studied the development of drug-resistant human colon carcinomas.

Academics:
Ph.D., Biochemistry, SUNY-Buffalo
B.A., Biology, Canisius College, Buffalo

Why SRI?
SRI offers the opportunity to work with a team of quality scientists dedicated to making translational medicine more commonplace in twenty-first-century medicine.

Inspiration and Motivation:
The breadth of SRI innovations made an initial positive impression. The potential to develop a path from basic biological research through drug discovery and on to preclinical development and possibly to pharmacy shelves inspired and motivated me to come to SRI. Since then, I have witnessed first-hand contributions from scientists throughout SRI in conducting basic research and combining their talents to work on important problems, with the real hope that there may be translation into real medicine.

Away from the Office:
I love to cook and entertain, and attend the theater, movies, museums, and restaurants. I enjoy exploring different areas of my new home including San Francisco, the Peninsula, Napa, Santa Cruz, and Monterey.

Proudest Professional Accomplishment:
The thrill of getting a grant funded on the first try is a career highlight. In addition, the work we published in the skin field in 1995 caused an explosion of renewed interest in skin biology. The model originally proposed in that paper, has, thus far, stood the test of time.

Words of Wisdom for New SRI Team Members:
SRI is a place like no other. Relax. Above all, be yourself. You will get used to the institute and the institute will get used to you.