Dr. Levine has made significant contributions in the field of oncology in his research on the causes of cancer in both humans and animals. He was the first to discover the p53 tumour suppressor gene, which acts to protect individuals from developing cancer. Following his discovery, thousands of researchers have followed in Dr. Levine’s footsteps, seeking to focus on the p53 gene, which is the most commonly mutated gene in cancer.

Dr. Levine is currently a Professor at The Simons Center for Systems Biology at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and a joint professor in the Pediatrics and Biochemistry Departments at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. He received his PhD in microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Later he was a post-doctoral fellow of the Public Health Service at the California Institute of Technology.

Dr Levine also holds honorary degrees from, among other institutions, Rider University, the Weizmann Institute of Science, the University Pierre and Marie Curie in Paris and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He has received many honours; most recently including the 2012 Onsager Medal, the Vallee Foundation Visiting Professorship, Harvard Medical School (2012), the Steven C. Beering Award for Advancement of Biomedical Science (2010), the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor (2009), the Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research (2008), the Award for Basic Research from the Surgical Society of Oncologists (2003), the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research (2001), and the Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Biomedical Research from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (2000).