Suzanne Eaton

Suzanne Eaton (December 23, 1959 – July 2, 2019) was an American scientist and professor of molecular biology at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany.

Suzanne Eaton
Born(1959-12-23)December 23, 1959
Oakland, California, U.S.
DiedJuly 2, 2019(2019-07-02) (aged 59)
Chania, Crete, Greece
Alma materBrown University (B.S.)
University of California, Los Angeles (Ph.D.)
Spouse(s)Anthony A. Hyman
Children2
AwardsWICB Junior Award (2006)
Scientific career
InstitutionsEuropean Molecular Biology Laboratory
Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
TU Dresden
ThesisMolecular analysis of an immunoglobulin heavy chain promoter (1988)
Doctoral advisorKathryn Calame
InfluencesThomas B. Kornberg
Kai Simons

Early life and education

Eaton was born on December 23, 1959, in Oakland, California.[1] One of Eaton's self-confessed role models as a child was Spock, due to his rational approach to problem solving. She was also a talented pianist, having played since the age of eight.[2]

As an undergraduate, Eaton was torn between a career as a biologist, a comparative literature professor, or a mathematician. The deciding factor was a course that was taught from primary literature instead of a textbook, sparking an enthusiasm for biological research.[3]

Eaton completed a B.S. in biology at Brown University in 1981 before earning a Ph.D. in microbiology at University of California, Los Angeles in 1988.[1] Her thesis, entitled Molecular analysis of an immunoglobulin heavy chain promoter, was completed under the supervision of Kathryn Calame.[4] She was awarded the Sydney C. Rittenberg Award for Distinguished Academic Achievement in Microbiology by the Association of Academic Women in 1988 for her doctoral work.[1]

Career and research

Eaton began her research career working on immunoglobulin heavy chain genes at University of California, Los Angeles, in the laboratory of Kathryn Calame.[2] In 1988, Eaton switched fields to developmental biology, investigating how cells obtain their tissue identities in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, while in the group of Thomas B. Kornberg at University of California, San Francisco.[2][5] Eaton moved to Germany in 1993 to work at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Heidelberg in the group of Kai Simons, where she combined her expertise in microbiology and developmental biology to investigate how the cytoskeleton helps cells attain their polarity in tissues, using the fruit fly as a model system.[3][5][6] In 2000, Eaton became one of the founding members of the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, where her group investigated how signaling molecules and mechanical properties of cells act together to shape tissues in the fruit fly.[2][6][7] In 2015, she became professor of developmental cell biology of invertebrates at the TU Dresden.[5]

Awards and honors

Personal life

Eaton was married to the British scientist, Anthony A. Hyman. The couple had two children.[9] She was an athlete and runner, and had a black belt in Taekwondo.[10]

After her death, her sister wrote: "She took great pleasure in preparing exquisite meals and had an exotic fashion sense. She loved perfume. She taught and practiced Tae Kwon Do as a second-degree black belt. She finished crossword puzzles way too quickly, played concertos, and read extensively. She fit Jane Austen’s strictest description of an 'accomplished woman' while maintaining a natural humility and 'insatiable curiosity'".[11]

Disappearance and death

Eaton disappeared on July 2, 2019. She was last seen playing the piano in the hotel lobby where she was attending a conference at the Orthodox Academy in Chania, Crete. It is believed that her disappearance occurred during a run.[12] Greek police found her body on July 8 inside a World War II bunker.[13] A homicide investigation was opened after it was determined that she died by asphyxiation.[14] Giannis (also spelled Yiannis) Paraskakis, a Greek 27–year–old and married father of two, admitted during police questioning to striking her twice with his car, knocking her unconscious, and loading her into his trunk. He then drove to the remote bunker, where he raped her and left her to die.[15][16][17] In October, 2020, Paraskakis was convicted of Eaton's murder and given a life sentence.[18]

Memorial fund

In honor of Eaton's interdisciplinary legacy to the scientific community, the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Austria instated a memorial fund with the stated aim to support young scientists' endeavors in interdisciplinary topics.[19]

See also

Selected publications

References
  1. "MPI-CBG: Group Leader". www.mpi-cbg.de. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  2. Sedwick, Caitlin (July 22, 2013). "Suzanne Eaton: The beautiful logic of development". The Journal of Cell Biology. 202 (2): 184–185. doi:10.1083/jcb.2022pi. ISSN 0021-9525. PMC 3718982. PMID 23878270.
  3. "ASCB Profile: Suzanne Eaton" (PDF). ASCB Newsletter. March 2007. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  4. Eaton, Suzanne. Molecular analysis of an immunoglobulin heavy chain promoter. OCLC 18403951.
  5. Eaton group webpage at TU Dresden, accessed on July 9th 2019.
  6. "In remembrance of Suzanne Eaton". Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  7. "Research focus of the Eaton lab on mpi-cbg.de". Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  8. "Women in Cell Biology Awards". Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  9. ASCB Profile: Tony Hyman. In: ASCB-Newsletter, November 2012, S. 41 (online).
  10. McKenzie, Sheena (July 9, 2019). "American scientist who went missing on Greek island found dead". CNN. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  11. Labropoulou, Elinda; Damon, Arwa; Kottasová, Ivana (July 11, 2019). "Suzanne Eaton: Body of American scientist found inside a former Nazi bunker". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  12. Martinez, Gina (July 9, 2019). "American Biologist Found Dead in Greece Nearly a Week After Her Disappearance". Time. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  13. "Missing American scientist found dead in Crete". Reuters. July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
  14. Sheena McKenzie and Ray Sanchez (July 10, 2019). "Death of American scientist who went missing on Greek island investigated as homicide". CNN.
  15. Papadopoulos, John; Griffith, Janelle (July 15, 2019). "Suspect admits to killing U.S. scientist Suzanne Eaton in Greece, police source says". NBC News. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  16. Labropoulou, Elinda (July 19, 2019). "American scientist killed in Greece was raped, say police". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  17. Salo, Jackie (July 17, 2019). "Greek suspect blames porn addiction for California scientist's murder". New York Post. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  18. "Cretan Man Given Life for Raping, Killing US Scientist". The National Herald. October 15, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  19. "Suzanne Eaton Memorial Fund". Retrieved July 23, 2019.
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