Dale A. Porter '95, PhD '01 is a senior scientist at the Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research leading teams working on cancer drug dicovery. As a scientist he is devoted to high quality research focusing on developing better approaches for cancer treatment. He has maintained an enthusiasm for teaching and training students and keeping close ties to Cornell. He willingly shares his experience and advice to students interested in a career in the New Life Sciences. He has been described as hard-working, reliable and an exceptional individual.

Porter studied for both his Bachelor's and PhD in the Department of Animal Science at Cornell before he became a postdoctoral fellow at the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute affiliated with the Harvard Medical School. There, he identified HIN-1, a tumor suppressing gene, characterized the IBC-1 (Invasive Breast Cancer-1) oncogene and worked on SAGE (Serial Analysis of Gene Expression) an analysis of human breast carcinomas.

Four years ago, the CALS Career Development and Alumni Affairs and Development Offices, along with the Office of Undergraduate Biology approached Porter with the very new idea of a career exploration trip to connect undergraduates with alumni working in science-related careers. Porter enthusiastically embraced the idea and planned a comprehensive visit to his employer, Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research. He also graciously facilitated a visit to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Those site visits were key components of a two-day road trip to Boston where 24 undergraduate biology majors and three staff explored careers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, research and medicine. That inaugural trip resulted in extremely positive student and alumni feedback and became a model for future trips. Since that first trip, Porter has played a key role in three other trips including a second undergraduate trip to Boston in 2008, and a trip to the Weill Medical College of Cornell to recruit post-doctoral fellows to Novartis.

Porter's commitment to Cornell, CALS, and students is just one aspect of his excellence. He has made significant accomplishments as a young scientist. He has been described as a productive, creative, and knowledgeable researcher. The fact that he supervises other young and upcoming scientists at a global research organization like Novartis Institutes is a testament to his aptitude, maturity and leadership in science. He has numerous publications and already has three patents.

While at Cornell, Porter was a leader in his undergraduate and graduate school years for the professional agricultural fraternity Alpha Zeta. He served as Chancellor as a sophomore and junior,  and chair of the committee for recruitment as an alumnus. He continues to be active in the fraternity today.

He has managed to balance his scientific work with service activities. As a PhD student, he won a research award from the Society for the Study of Reproduction and a teaching award from the CALS. He proved to be a valuable colleague in the Department, assisting graduate students and undergraduates from different labs with scientific procedures. Following his studies at Cornell, he has proved to be an active alumnus as the Boston District Director of CALS Alumni Association Board of Directors. He organized a young alumni networking event in February 2003, where he personally contacted many alumni to invite them to the event. 

Shortly after he accepted his position at Novartis, Porter also volunteered for the Big Brother Program in the Boston area. He has mentored his little brother for more than 4 years.

Porter possesses a genuine love of science and is willing to work hard to accomplish his goals. His colleagues have noted his intelligent and probing mind clearly reflected in his ability to design, interpret and troubleshoot his experiments. He is extremely professional, conscientious and amiable, always uniquely ready to help with both scientific and social laboratory responsibilities. He exudes excitement when he talks about his research and is always willing to help talented undergraduates find an internship with Novartis.

Among the awards Porter has received are the Howard Temin Career Award in 2003 from the National Cancer Institute,  the National Research Service Award in 2002 from the National Institutes of Health, and the Catalyst award for innovative drug discovery at Novartis.

Porter lives in Jamaica Plain, MA.