Zach W. Hall

Zach W. Hall, Ph.D., is a retired neuroscientist whose laboratory studied the molecular structure and development of the neuromuscular junction. He received his Ph.D. with Ed Kravitz at Harvard University in 1966. Following two years of post-doctoral work in the Department of Biochemistry at Stanford, Hall returned to Harvard to join the new Department of Neurobiology as an Assistant Professor. In 1976 he moved to UCSF where he started the Neuroscience Graduate Program. From 1994-97 he was director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke before returning to UCSF as Executive Vice Chancellor, with responsibility for developing the campus at Mission Bay. He then held a series of administrative positions, including the CEO of EnVivo Pharmaceuticals and later Associate Dean for Research at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. His last position was as the first president of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, a new state agency to fund stem cell research in California. Hall was one of the founding editors of Neuron, and is the author and editor of a textbook, An Introduction to Molecular Neurobiology. He has received a number of honors, including the Purkynje Medal from the Czech Academy of Sciences. Hall, who now lives in Wilson, WY, currently serves as an advisor and board member for Target ALS, a non-profit organization devoted to speeding the development of therapies for ALS by promoting collaboration between industry and academia.