Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax; 713/743-8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 26, 2004

Contact: Lisa Merkl
713/743-8192 (office)
713/605-1757 (pager)

HOUSTON, March 26, 2004 – Susan H. Hardin, an associate professor of biology and biochemistry at the University of Houston, has been chosen one of Houston’s top women in technology. Hardin will be recognized with a group of her peers at a gala June 12 when she receives one of the “Top Houston Women in Technology” awards for 2004.

This year’s awards mark the 25th anniversary of the Association for Women in Computing (AWC), a national organization dedicated to helping women advance and achieve leadership roles in the technical disciplines of computing, business, industry, science, education and government. The 22 honorees of 2004 represent an array of leaders in Houston, from the corporate sector to non-profits and academic institutions, each having demonstrated significant accomplishments in her career and acting as a positive role model for women.

Hardin received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Penn State University in 1982 and her doctorate in molecular, cellular and developmental biology from Indiana University in 1987. Her postdoctoral work at Brandeis University helped launched her career. Joining the UH faculty in 1995, Hardin’s research interests are in the areas of molecular genetics and biotechnology, especially with respect to the mechanisms of enzymatic DNA synthesis and DNA replication.

Hardin also is president and CEO of VisiGen Biotechnologies Inc., one of Houston’s leading-edge BioNano Technology companies, co-founding it with four other UH professors. Her work is enabling new platform technologies to revolutionize biomolecular sequencing. This research has led to the development of a new technology for direct molecular sensing that can be used to sequence an entire genome – the genetic code in a person’s DNA – in less than 24 hours at a reasonable cost, thereby enabling personalized medicine.

“Dr. Hardin’s contributions are a prime example of UH’s commitment to biomedical research,” said John Bear, dean of UH’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. “The technologies she and her colleagues are developing may soon offer physicians a quicker, more thorough way to assess genetically linked risk factors for such things as diseases and adverse drug reactions.”


About the University of Houston
The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about the AWC’s “Top Houston Women in Technology” award, visit http://awchouston.org/gala%202004/2004.htm

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