Dutch born Titia de Lange, professor and head of the Laboratory for Cell Biology and Genetics at Rockefeller University, New York, has received the 2011 Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science for her body of research on mechanisms that help maintain genome stability.

The American Vilcek Prizes embody the Vilcek Foundation’s mission to publicize and celebrate the accomplishments of foreign-born artists and scientists. The prize includes a $100,000 cash award and a trophy created by noted designer Stefan Sagmeister.

De Lange and her colleagues study telomeres, the elements that protect chromosome ends from unnecessary repair and mediate their replication. This work has led to a greater understanding of how telomeres protect chromosome ends, and what happens when telomere function is lost during the early stages of tumorigenesis.

If you’re a puzzler

Titia de Lange describes herself as a puzzler, someone who “lives the question,” rather than focusing on the solution. “If you’re a puzzler,” she says, “and you’re only interested in the complete picture, look at the cover of the box. The satisfaction in being a scientist is enjoying each step along the way, searching for the next piece.”

De Lange is also an elected member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences, the European Molecular Biology Organization and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a foreign associate of the US Academy of Sciences and a member of the Institute of Medicine.