Dr. Dinah Singer serves as the Acting Director of the Center for Strategic Scientific Initiatives, is the Deputy Director for Scientific Strategy and Development of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is a Senior Investigator and Chief of the Molecular Regulation Section of the Experimental Immunology Branch, NCI, a position she has held since 1991. From 1999 until 2019, she served as the Director of the Division of Cancer Biology (DCB), NCI. Dr. Singer’s research interests are in the areas of regulation of gene expression and molecular immunology. She has trained a large number of post-doctoral fellows, post-baccalaureate students and high school students who have gone on to successful scientific careers.
In her capacity as Deputy Director, Dr. Singer co-chaired the 2016 Blue Ribbon Panel of the Cancer Moonshot. The Blue Ribbon Panel was charged with identifying the research opportunities that are uniquely poised to be accelerated through the Cancer Moonshot. She has continued to lead and oversee the implementation of the Recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Panel, which has resulted in the initiation of nearly 100 new programs. Dr. Singer also oversees NCI’s Center for Research Strategy, the Center for Cancer Training, and the Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. Most recently, Dr. Singer has overseen the effort establishing the Cancer Grand Challenges partnership with CRUK.
Dr. Singer leads a number of cross-NCI strategic activities for CSSI. She initiated a new trans-NCI advisory committee to provide advice and guidance on collaborative, cross-NCI scientific opportunities, research programs, and resources. This committee was instrumental in the rapid launch of SeroNet, a research network established as part of NCI's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to interests from the NCI Director, Dr. Singer oversaw the international collaboration with Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to implement the NCI-CRUK Cancer Grand Challenge (CGC) program. CGC aims to stimulate novel research from multi-national research teams advancing bold ideas to address important challenges in cancer research by leaders across various fields. Dr. Singer has also led a strategic planning exercise involving a series of small workshops where a combination of extramural researchers and NCI leaders discussed potential new projects and technological resources that could be implemented at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research (FNLCR).
Dr. Singer received her B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her Ph.D. from Columbia University. She serves on a number of scientific and editorial boards. She is a member of the American Association of Cancer Research and American Association of Immunologists. Dr. Singer has received a number of awards, including the NIH Director’s Award and serves in leadership positions on a variety of trans-NIH scientific and administrative committees such as the NIH Common Fund.