Susan Hockfield

Susan Hockfield
16th President of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
In office
2004–2012
Preceded byCharles M. Vest
Succeeded byL. Rafael Reif
Provost of Yale University
In office
December 2002 – August 2004
Preceded byAlison Richard
Succeeded byAndrew D. Hamilton
Personal details
Born (1951-03-24) March 24, 1951 (age 73)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
SpouseThomas Byrne
EducationUniversity of Rochester (BS)
Georgetown University (MS, PhD)
Scientific career
FieldsNeuroscience
InstitutionsCold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Yale University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ThesisAfferent and Efferent Neuronal Connections of the Dorsal Horn of the Caudal Medulla (Trigeminal Nucleus Caudalis) Demonstrated by Retrograde Labeling with Horseradish Peroxidase (1979)
Doctoral advisorStephen Gobel
Other academic advisorsAllan Basbaum
Doctoral studentsDaniel Geschwind

Susan Hockfield (born March 24, 1951) is an American neuroscientist who served as the 16th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 2004 to 2012.

Hockfield currently serves as a Professor of Neuroscience in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, a Joint Professor of Work and Organization Studies in MIT’s Sloan School of Management, and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. She is also a director of Break Through Cancer, Cajal Neuroscience, Fidelity Non-Profit Management Foundation, Lasker Foundation, Mass General Brigham, Pfizer, Repertoire Immune Medicines, and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research; a lifetime member of the MIT Corporation; and a board member of the Belfer Center at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Before returning to MIT following her presidency, Hockfield held the Marie Curie Visiting Professorship at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.