February 12, 1958

Dr. J. Walter Ailson
Departaent of Biology
Brown Univeral ty

Providence 12, Rhode Taland

Dear Walter:

As a matter of fact I think I can suggest somone who would be a
first glass cendidate as a biological bacterlologist. He happens to be
wy brother, Dr, Seymour Lederberg, and ia the ordinary course of affairs
I wuld simply refer you to Luria and Stanier for detailed information
oa aceount of our fraternal relationship. There is a question of tise
however as he is considering some alternative possibilities right now so
I will enlarge a bit. Ne doss plan to take a trip east at the end of
thie sonth to look over another poasibllity, so if you did want to have
a ohanoe to confer with hia, you might find it advantaguous tc contact
him direstly.

at the present time he is a “visiting assistant prefessor of
bacterLology"® at the University of Gulifornla at Berkeley. Thin is a
strictly temporary sosiition which wes creatad tc relieve A@tanier of his
teaghing duties for o period of time while he wag on a ressarch fellon
ehip in situ. Seymour took his rh.D. in bacteriology with Luria and hes
always hod « strong bicchemical orientation, He then spent owe years on
a post-doctoral fellowship aith Dan Wazia in the Zoology Department at ~
Berkeley. He has been working on the interchange between RNA and DNA in
Tetrahynmens.

I won't go so far sa to offer what. wuld inevitably be a@ biapal
assessment of his qualifications. I know that he enjoys teaching as
well as research and he has often expressed an intereat in pursuing his
eareer in the context of general biology rather than bacteriology.

Youre sincerely,

ron mesyim

Joshua Lederberg
Professor of Medical Genetics

JL/ew
P. 5S. I am sure you wuld have the discretion not to bring ay name
into any conversations you my have with Seymour.