Meet Nobel Laureate Ferid Murad

This is a picture of Dr. Ferid Murad, FangLei Zhuang (a friend and fellow Lambowitz lab member) and myself at the graduate student potluck dinner following the Paul D. Gottlieb Lecture. Dr. Ferid Murad recently gave a lecture as part of the Paul D. Gottlieb Lecture Series at UT Austin. Dr. Murad received the Nobel Prize in 1998 for for his discoveries concerning nitric oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. His discoveries led to the development of cardiovascular drugs such as Viagra. I am very appreciative for Dr. Murad's willingness to come to UT upon our invitation. My friends and I initiated the Paul D. Gottlieb Lecture series in 2003 and we have been fortunate to bring 4 Nobel Laureates to Austin as part of the series. In the fall, I will be the official host for Dr. James D. Watson, co-discoverer of the structure of DNA. Dr. Watson is one of the most famous scientists of the last century. I am excited that he has accepted our invitation to come to UT.