In Memoriam: Angelika Amon, 1967-2020

Angelika Amon, the Kathleen and Curtis Marble Professor of Cancer Research and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, died on October 29. She was 53 years old and had suffered from ovarian cancer.

Amon grew up in Vienna, Austria, and earned a bachelor’s degree and a Ph.D. at the University of Vienna. She came to MIT in 1994 as a research scientist and joined the faculty in 1999.

Professor Amon made profound contributions to our understanding of the fundamental biology of the cell, deciphering the regulatory networks that govern cell division and proliferation in yeast, mice, and mammalian organoids, and shedding light on the causes of chromosome mis-segregation and its consequences for human diseases.

Professor Amon was the winner of the 2018 Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science. In 2019, she won the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences and the Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science. She was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

“Known for her piercing scientific insight and infectious enthusiasm for the deepest questions of science, Professor Amon built an extraordinary career – and in the process, a devoted community of colleagues, students, and friends,” said  L. Rafael Reif, president of MIT.