Lara Muffley: 'I am deeply moved by this award and am so appreciative my colleagues chose to nominate me.'
‘Collaborative spirit, robust background in program management, and deep understanding of cell and molecular biology’
BBI’s Lara Muffley has been named the recipient of the UW’s 2024-25 Distinguished Staff Award for collaboration, recognizing an employee who “has made an outstanding achievement or provides ongoing excellence through effective collaboration.”
Muffley, the director of Program Operations for three scientific centers within BBI, facilitates cooperative research among hundreds of scientists throughout the United States and internationally. She is one of five awardees selected among nearly 50 collaboration-related finalists, and will be recognized in a celebration June 12 by UW President Ana Mari Cauce.
“This is an extraordinary honor,” Muffley said. “I am deeply moved by this award and am so appreciative my colleagues chose to nominate me.”
She was nominated by her two supervisors, Drs Lea Starita, Ph.D., and Doug Fowler, Ph.D., BBI members and principal investigators in the UW Medicine Department of Genome Sciences.
“Lara is adept at coordinating complex projects and aligning multidisciplinary teams toward common goals,” Starita said. “Moreover, she has the unique ability to work closely and effectively with individuals in the academic, corporate, government, and non-profit sectors to foster collaborative relationships that accomplish mutual objectives.
“More than anyone I have encountered in my 18 years at the University of Washington, Lara has demonstrated the unique talent to convene individuals with diverse backgrounds, while remaining courteous and respectful. She has helped bring international recognition to BBI, but also to the UW Department of Genome Sciences and to the University at large. One of the greatest examples of her success is the global Atlas of Variant Effects (AVE) Alliance, where her ability to foster positive team dynamics and leverage organizational skills advance BBI’s precision medicine mission of interpreting the landscape of human genetic variation.”
The co-chair of the AVE Alliance, Dr. Matthew Hurles, Director of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, the U.K.-based world leader in genomics research, said of Muffley: "Lara has been the critical lynchpin of our international alliance to coordinate efforts across the world to understand the biological impact of all genetic variants in all genes. Without Lara’s innovative, hard-working and community-focused leadership we would not have built the strong global community that is breaking new ground on this important challenge for humanity.”
Muffley joined the UW 30 years ago in 1995, after completing a Bachelor’s Degree at the University of North Carolina. At the UW, she first joined the Department of Dermatology; then served as a Research Scientist and Lab Manager in the Department of Surgery within UW Medicine. She was hired in 2019 by the Genome Sciences department and BBI as project manager for the NIH-funded Center of Excellence in Genome Science at the UW. In 2024, Muffley was promoted to Director of Program Operations.
Fowler commented on her achievements in building collaborative partnerships.
“Recently, Ms. Muffley has taken on higher-level duties, especially in the context of providing leadership, scientific management, and communications support for our NHGRI-funded Centers," he said. "She is now regularly interacting with external partners and collaborators at NIH and around the world to develop research strategies, find synergies between different groups, and further develop our scientific outreach and education.”
One sentence in Starita's nomination seemed to capture Muffley's skills and professionalism.
“Lara is an ‘unofficial ambassador’ for the University and BBI’s research program in her work with individuals affiliated with federal agencies, international organizations, the corporate sector, and others with whom she engages on behalf of BBI and the Department of Genome Sciences,” said Starita.
To view all the award winners, visit here:
