Joshua Lederberg

Joshua Lederberg ForMemRS
Lederberg in New Delhi, India
5th President of Rockefeller University
In office 1978–1990
Preceded by	Frederick Seitz
Succeeded by	David Baltimore
Personal details
Born	(1925-05-23)May 23, 1925 Montclair, New Jersey
Died	February 2, 2008(2008-02-02) (aged 82) New York City
Spouse(s)	Esther Miriam Zimmer (1946–1966; divorced) Marguerite Stein Kirsch (1968–2008; 1 child, 1 stepchild)
Alma mater	Stuyvesant High School Columbia University Yale University
Known for	Neurospora crassa Bacterial conjugation Dendral Astrobiology Transduction
Awards	Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1958) National Medal of Science (1989) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2006)
Scientific career
Fields	Microbiologist
Thesis	Genetic recombination in Escherichia coli (1947)
Doctoral advisor	Edward Tatum
Doctoral students	Norton Zinder

Joshua Lederberg ForMemRS^[1] (May 23, 1925 – February 2, 2008)^[2] was an American molecular biologist known for his work in microbial genetics, artificial intelligence, and the United States space program. He was 33 years old when he won the 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering that bacteria can mate and exchange genes (bacterial conjugation).^[3] He shared the prize with Edward Tatum and George Beadle, who won for their work with genetics.

In addition to his contributions to biology, Lederberg did extensive research in artificial intelligence. This included work in the NASA experimental programs seeking life on Mars and the chemistry expert system Dendral.