Marlene Belfort
MOTHER. SCIENTIST. IMMIGRANT. SCHOLAR. MENTOR. WIFE.
About the author
Dr. Marlene Belfort was born in Cape Town, South Africa to German-Jewish refugees escaping Hitler’s regime. One of the first women to study biochemistry and microbiology at the University of Cape Town, she earned her PhD from the University of California, Irvine, and conducted postdoctoral research at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, and Northwestern University. A member of the US National Academy of Sciences, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Academy of Microbiology, she holds the International RNA Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Belfort’s research interests are in splicing, mobility and evolution of self-splicing introns and inteins, and their application to biotechnology. She is an advocate for women and the underrepresented in science and a proponent of work-life integration. Dr. Belfort is a Distinguished Professor at the University at Albany SUNY, and Senior Advisor to The RNA Institute. She has three sons, three daughters-in-law and seven grandchildren, and lives with her husband, Georges, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Belfort’s tortuous and triumphant path to both scientific acclaim and a fulfilling family life will be inspirational to anyone embarking on that journey.
“
Thomas R. Cech,
Nobel Laureate and author of The Catalyst
Marlene’s favorite RNA molecule (purple) hugging its protein partner (yellow).
THE BOOK
Mommy, can boys also be doctors?
A Message to Young Scientists and Other Humans (Launch Date: April 29, 2025)
The book explores walking the tightrope of balancing the personal and professional. It frankly discusses the human struggle to deal with discrimination, depression, and loss. And it celebrates the joy of living a rich, fulfilling life. Letting go is liberating!
First edition Spring 2025
235 pages
Lioncrest Publishing
Foreword by Paul Grondahl,
Director of NY State Writers Institute
The book received the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award in the Educational category from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.
Testimonials
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Six decades after the start of the women’s movement, this scientist and mom tells of the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of a life in science. This courageous, stormy and joyful story crosses continents, from Africa to Europe, the Middle East and finally, the USA, on waves of science and human relationships. A must read for those interested in the role of the modern woman in the workplace and at home.
Frances H. Arnold,
Professor, Caltech and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry
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Marlene Belfort has moved across continents and uncharted territory, through tragedy to triumph, to create an extraordinary life in science starting at a time when women were all but not allowed. Like her, this book is a portrait of resilience, but it is also more: a love letter to science and career, and to family and motherhood; a tender memoir and a powerful rallying cry for women of the next generation. Her story is a testament to a life guided by the thrill of discovery, no matter what the pursuit.
Kate Zernike,
Author of The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins and the Fight for Women in Science
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Marlene Belfort is the epitome of resilience, overcoming discrimination in her scientific career as well as episodes of major depression. She rose to the top of her field by facing her challenges head on. This talented storyteller, highly accomplished scientist, and mother of three is blazing a brilliant trail for young professionals, fledgling parents, and all those facing new challenges from mental illness, across the human lifespan and spanning the diversity of the human experience.
Karl Deisseroth
Professor of Bioengineering and Psychiatry,
Stanford University, and
Author of Projections
“
This book personifies success in career and life, with all their associated warts. Belfort is not afraid to unpack how she needed to overcome nasty setbacks, both professional and personal, while she shares the happiness and fulfillment of combining her scientific career with motherhood, into the ripe age of her “fourth quarter”.
Gail Gazelle,
MD, Assistant Professor Harvard Medical School and author of Mindful MD
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