Joan W. Conaway

Joan Weliky grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and New York. Her father Irving Weliky and her mother Virginia née Spicer, were both biochemists, though Virginia her work to be a full-time homemaker.[1][2][3] She attended Bryn Mawr College, where she was initially undecided between majoring in biomedical science or political science. After her freshman year, she worked in a pharmaceutical company's immunology lab, which was when she made up her mind to become a biomedical scientist.[1] She later was a graduate student at Stanford University under the advisorship of future Nobel laureate Roger D. Kornberg, graduating with a PhD in cell biology.[3]

After finishing her PhD, she completed a postdoctoral research appointment at DNAX Research Institute. She then worked at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. In 2001 she joined the faculty of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research in Kansas City, Missouri.[1] In 2005 she became Helen Nelson Distinguished Chair at Stowers Institute.[3] She is additionally a professor in University of Kansas School of Medicine's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. With her husband, Ron Conaway, she publishes research about the mechanisms of gene transcription.[1]

In 2002 she became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She is a recipient of the Edward L. and Thelma Gaylord Award for Scientific Excellence (1991) and the ASBMB – Amgen Award (1997).[3] In 2020 she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in the biochemistry division.[4]

She is married to fellow researcher Ronald Conaway.[5] She and Ronald enjoy jazz performances.[1]