About Dr. Ed Manser Dr. Ed Manser obtained his PhD (Biophysics) at the National Institute for Medical research in London, working on the microtubule cytoskeleton under the supervision of Dr. Peter M. Bayley. He secured a postdoctoral position in 1986 at the Institute of Neurology, London, to undertake research in the new field of molecular neurobiology. In Singapore he developed an interest in the biochemical pathways downstream of the newly discovered Rho small GTPases. His team was supported until 2009 by the GSK-IMCB Singapore Research fund, during which time ground-breaking discoveries in the field of Rho signal transduction were made. This included the identification and isolation of effector protein kinases of the ACK, PAK, ROCK and MRCK families. Subsequently associated proteins for PAK1 such as PIX and GIT were uncovered. These function in complexes to drive cell shape changes, motility and cytokinesis in many cell types, including neurons. Ed has published a number of "citation classics" (> 400 citations) on these Rho effectors. Currently, he holds joint appointments as a Principal Investigator in the Astar-Neuroscience Research Partnership and in the Institute of Medical Biology.