GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Oct. 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Van Andel Institute, a leading research organization based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, has appointed internationally recognized physician-scientist Jonathan D. Licht, M.D., as its next president and chief scientific officer. Licht will begin his new role in early 2026.
He brings to VAI an extensive track record of building successful, high-impact research programs, which will further strengthen the Institute’s efforts to improve the health and enhance the lives of current and future generations. Licht’s expansive scientific contributions have reshaped understanding of how leukemia and other blood cancers develop and progress. Â
Licht will succeed current President and Chief Scientific Officer Peter A. Jones, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon), who was appointed in 2013. Throughout Jones’s exemplary tenure, the Institute has grown into a biomedical research powerhouse and a leader in cancer epigenetics, a field that explores how DNA is regulated without changing the DNA sequence itself. Epigenetic factors play essential roles in health and, when errors occur, can contribute to cancer and other diseases.
Jones will continue his research as a professor in VAI’s Department of Epigenetics and co-leader of the Van Andel Institute–Stand Up To Cancer® Epigenetics Dream Team, a collaborative effort to evaluate promising potential cancer therapies in clinical trials. Â
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Licht to Van Andel Institute. His proven leadership, innovative research and strategic vision make him the perfect person to build upon our strong foundation,” said VAI CEO and Chairman David Van Andel. “We also are deeply grateful to Dr. Jones for leading the Institute through a period of extraordinary growth over the past 12 years. He has elevated VAI to new heights and cemented our role as a world-class independent research institute.”
A leader in the study of blood cancer and epigenetics
After earning his B.S. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his M.D. from Columbia University, Licht completed his medical residency at Beth Israel Hospital followed by a fellowship in medical oncology and a postdoctoral fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He served on the faculty of Mount Sinai for more than 15 years, rising to become a professor and chief of hematology/oncology before moving to Northwestern University to be an associate director of the Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center from 2006 to 2015. From 2015 to 2025, he was the Marshall E. Rinker, Sr., Chair and director of the University of Florida Health Cancer Institute, which he led to become the 72nd National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in 2023.Â
Licht’s laboratory studies how epigenetic errors contribute to development of blood malignancies, including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, with the goal of developing treatments to reverse these processes. His many contributions include identifying mutations that contribute to 10%–20% of relapsed B cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) cases in children. These mutations also are present in 15%–20% of multiple myeloma cases and could offer a powerful opportunity for new therapies.
“I am honored to succeed my friend Dr. Peter Jones as Van Andel Institute’s next president and chief scientific officer. Situated in a growing, dynamic city with a burgeoning biomedical enterprise, this unique institution has become one of the most impactful independent centers for biomedical research and training in the world,” Licht said. “I look forward to working with VAI faculty, trainees, staff and administration to develop new initiatives, including critical intersections among programs in cancer epigenetics, neurodegeneration and metabolism, and leveraging the strengths of structural and cell biology. Furthermore, I am excited to explore new collaborations between VAI and the great medical and academic institutions of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the Midwest. I am grateful to Mr. Van Andel and the trustees for selecting me to lead the Institute in the years ahead.”
A track record of excellence
Licht has authored more than 240 scholarly publications, which together have more than 37,000 citations. He has held key positions in the American Society of Hematology, American Association for Cancer Research, Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society) and the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation. Licht also served a five-year term on the National Cancer Institute Board of Scientific Counselors, chaired the Biochemical Mechanisms of Cancer Therapy study section, and led the 2019 Gordon Conference on Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the new journal Blood Neoplasia and previously served as an associate editor of Oncogene and on the editorial boards of Cancer Discovery, Cancer Cell and Blood Cancer Discovery.
Licht was a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scholar and, since 2007, has led a Blood Cancer United/LLS-Specialized Center of Research on the epigenetics of hematological malignancies. He is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, and the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida. In 2023, he was elected as a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. His deep dedication to training the next generation of scientists earned him the 2021 American Society of Hematology Basic Science Mentor Award.
ABOUT VAN ANDEL INSTITUTE
Van Andel Institute (VAI) is committed to improving the health and enhancing the lives of current and future generations through cutting edge biomedical research and innovative educational offerings. Established in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1996 by the Van Andel family, VAI is now home to more than 500 scientists, educators and support staff, who work with a growing number of national and international collaborators to foster discovery. The Institute’s scientists study the origins of cancer, Parkinson’s and other diseases and translate their findings into breakthrough prevention and treatment strategies. Our educators develop inquiry-based approaches for K–12 education to help students and teachers prepare the next generation of problem-solvers, while our Graduate School offers a rigorous, research-intensive Ph.D. program in molecular and cellular biology. Learn more at vai.org.
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