About The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute Science on a mission

About Us

The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute

Addressing a World of Unmet Medical Needs

The scientists of The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology work at the exciting interface of chemistry and biology. We blend leading-edge expertise and resources to illuminate the molecular basis of health and disease. Employing unique and advanced tools of drug discovery, we pursue novel treatments for a world of unmet medical needs, in areas including genetic diseases, infectious diseases, brain disorders, autoimmune diseases and cancers.

The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute campus in Jupiter, Florida was founded by Scripps Research, one of the world’s most innovative nonprofit biomedical research organizations. We joined the University of Florida, one of the nation’s top five public universities, in 2022. Together, UF Health and The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute work to advance science, science education and medicine, all for the benefit of humanity. The Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences at Scripps Research trains the next generation of scientists on our campus through its nationally recognized Ph.D. program in biomedical sciences.

We offer unique resources for scientists, including our state-of-the-art molecular imaging center, which is equipped with cryo-electron microscopy. Also, following a grant of hundreds of thousands of microbial natural product strains, the institute is home to the Natural Products Discovery Center, where scientists mine the collection for new compounds with potential to treat human disease.

Today, around 500 people work at our campus, including more than 40 principal investigators. Our highly entrepreneurial culture has enabled our scientists to spin off new Florida-based companies at a rate of about one per year, each aimed at accelerating the development of innovative medicines. A 2021 study showed that we produced more than $3.2 billion in economic impact in our first 17 years of operation, not including capital investment in those spinoff companies. Learn more about the research and educational opportunities at UF Scripps Biomedical Research by visiting our website.

Leadership

Institute Leadership

James Lapple

UF Scripps Biomedical Research Chief Financial Officer

Phone:

(561) 228-2001

Email:

lapplej@ufl.edu

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Patrick Griffin Ph.D.

Scientific Director And Professor

Phone:

(561) 228-2200

Email:

pgriffin2@ufl.edu

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Courtney Miller Ph.D.

Director Of Academic Affairs And Professor

Phone:

(561) 228-2958

Email:

courtneymiller@ufl.edu

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Laura Bohn Ph.D.

Chair And Professor, Department Of Molecular Medicine

Phone:

(561) 228-2227

Email:

laura.bohn@ufl.edu

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Matthew Disney Ph.D.

Chair, Department Of Chemistry

Phone:

(561) 228-2203

Email:

mdisney@ufl.edu

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Kirill Martemyanov Ph.D.

Professor And Chair, Department Of Neuroscience

Phone:

(561) 228-2770

Email:

kmartemyanov@ufl.edu

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Susana Valente Ph.D.

Professor And Chair, Department Of Immunology And Microbiology

Phone:

(561) 228-3454

Email:

svalente@ufl.edu

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Katrin Karbstein Ph.D.

Professor

Phone:

(561) 228-3210

Email:

katrin.karbstein@ufl.edu

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History

A Vision of Healing

Visitors to The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute campus pass a beautiful steel-ribbon sculpture titled “Angel of the West.” Evoking Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, the sculpture was a gift of Biogen co-founder Charles Weissmann, PhD, who dedicated it to the late Richard Lerner, MD, longtime president of The Scripps Research Institute, and founder of the Florida campus.

Today, researchers who not only probe and discover basic biology and the causes of disease, but also search for and advance potential treatments, are proud to continue Dr. Lerner and Dr. Weissmann’s legacy on what has since been renamed The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, in honor of our benefactor, inventor, philanthropist and humanitarian Dr. Herbert Wertheim.

To read more about the history and accomplishments of our scientists, click here.

UF Scripps History

UF Scripps Gallery

UF Scripps By Numbers

Facts About UF Scripps

A quick trip through our past, present and future.

UF Scripps IS HIRING!

careers at UF Scripps

Join Us

Working at the frontier of human knowledge is exciting and challenging. UF Scripps has openings at many levels, including tenure-track faculty, post-doctoral research associates and administrative staff.

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Living in Florida

The region surrounding our Jupiter, Florida campus offers beautiful, palm-lined beaches, an easygoing lifestyle and convenient access to all that Florida has to offer, from the Everglades to theme parks.
Water activities abound in the Jupiter area. The Jupiter Waterway Trail connects the Loxahatchee River, Intracoastal Waterway and Jupiter Inlet. You can canoe, kayak or paddleboard, glimpsing wildlife that include alligators, manatees and herons. And you can snorkel or dive to explore the coral reefs and marine life.
Fans of Major League Baseball can take in the spring training games of the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals, as well as their minor league affiliates, at the Roger Dean Stadium. Whether you love golf, tennis, nature hikes, art galleries, live music, outlet shopping, farmers markets or festivals, living in a vacation destination has its perks.

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