Meet the PI

Frederick Grinnell, Ph.D.

Frederick Grinnell, Ph.D.

Robert McLemore Professorship in Medical Science

Distinguished Teaching Professor

Department of Cell Biology

Ethics in Science and Medicine Program

AAAS Fellow, Section on History and Philosophy of Science

See Teaching Awards here
Watch videos here

Career trajectory at UT Southwestern

  • 1970 - Postdoctoral Fellow in Biochemistry and working at Dallas VA Hospital
  • 1972 - Assistant Professor of Cell Biology
  • 1977 - Associate Professor of Cell Biology
  • 1981 - Professor of Cell Biology
  • 1881 - Visiting Fellow at Yale University (Biology and Philosophy)
  • 1984 - Meyerhoff Visiting Professor, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel
  • 1988 - Forchheimer Visiting Professor, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
  • 1998 - Founded (with John Sadler) the UTSW Ethics in Science and Medicine Program
  • 1990 - Visiting Scholar, The Hastings Center, Briarcliff Manor, NY011
  • 2006 - President, UT Southwestern Faculty Senate
  • 2013 - Appointed Robert McLemore Professor of Medical Science

Early Career Mentors

  • Chemistry major at Clark University (A.B., 1966); senior research work with Gerson Kegeles.
  • Doctoral degree from Tufts University School of Medicine (Ph.D., 1970) with thesis advisor John Nishimura.
  • Postdoctoral work at UTSW in biochemistry (1970-1972) with postdoc advisor Paul Srere.
  • Philosophy (phenomenology and philosophy of science) studies at Southern Methodist University with Richard Zaner and David Hausman (1976-1980).
  • Sabbatical at Yale University (1981) with J.P. Trinkaus (filming cell migration through collagen matrices) and with Maurice Natanson (carrying out reflective studies on the philosophy of intersubjectivity).

Simultaneous science and philosophy publications from the Yale sabbatical establishing multidisciplinary career trajectory.

Science research trajectory

  • 1972 with Paul Srere -- begin studies on cell adhesion to extracellular materials
  • 1980 with Rupert Billingham -- begin studies on fibronectin and wound healing
  • 1984 -- begin studies on cellular reorganization of 3-dimensional collagen matrix cultures to study tissue remodeling
  • 1986 with Charles Baxter and Paul Bergstresser -- test possible therapeutic value of topical fibronectin for non-healing venous stasis ulcers
  • 1989 with Annette Wysocki -- begin studies using human wound fluid to study the human wound environment
  • 2015 with Simon Dalley (Southern Methodist University) and Karen Shepherd (Plano ISD) - begin studies on high school science and engineering fairs.

National committees