Grimm hopes to bolster support for science programs as new Randolph College trustee

Elizabeth A. Grimm

Elizabeth “Liz” A. Grimm ’71 credits the rigorous science education she received at R-MWC for preparing her for graduate school and a successful career. Now a new member of the Randolph College Board of Trustees, she hopes to help more alumnae and alumni find success in science fields.

A resident of Houston, Texas, Grimm is a professor at the University of Texas and leads a cancer biology laboratory addressing the role of inflammation in immunotherapy. She also teaches Ph.D. and postdoctoral graduate lab courses at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and helped establish the center’s first cancer biology training program, which was funded by the National Cancer Institute for a decade.

Grimm has been awarded a Distinguished Chair in Translational Research for her role in developing new therapies for cancer, and is an elected member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has published more than 200 papers detailing her research.

After graduating from R-MWC as a chemistry major, Grimm earned her Ph.D. from the UCLA School of Medicine. In her role as a trustee, she hopes to recruit more Randolph students into graduate programs.

“I continue to try to encourage Randolph students to come to University of Texas graduate programs, and am hoping to renew and further support for the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors and classes at Randolph,” she said. “I will bring additional support for the sciences that helped me so much in my career; in addition, I will continue to help secure the financial sustainability of the College.”

When she’s not teaching graduate students in the lab, Grimm can be found teaching yoga students as a certified Hatha Yoga instructor. She also continues to follow her passion for the arts—particularly music, which she minored in along with German at R-MWC.

“I love music and art, and with my opera-loving husband, attend opera performances regularly,” Grimm said. “Gardening and cooking are both hobbies that I rarely have time to enjoy, but hope to do more if I ever retire.”