Dr. Scott F. Gilbert is a Swarthmore College Howard A. Schneiderman Professor Emeritus and a Finland Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Helsinki Institute of Biotechnology. He instructs in developmental biology, developmental genetics, and biology history. Following his B.A. from Wesleyan University, he went on to pursue graduate and postdoctoral studies at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Wisconsin.

Scott has received several honours, including the first Viktor Hamburger Award for excellence in developmental biology education, the Alexander Kowalevsky Prize for evolutionary developmental biology, honorary degrees from the Universities of Helsinki, and Tartu, and the College de France’s Medal of Francois I. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, a corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Society of Naturalists, and a member of Japan’s National Institute of Basic Biology’s International Advisory Board. He has chaired the Society for Developmental Biology’s Professional Development and Education Committee.

Dr. Gilbert’s research focuses on the developmental genetic mechanisms that allow the turtle to form its shell, as well as the mechanisms that allow plasticity and symbionts to contribute to development.