Passing of Conklin Medalist and SDB President Gail R. Martin

2/17/2026

The Society for Developmental Biology is sad to announce the passing of Gail R. Martin (1944-2026), after a short illness, in San Francisco.  Martin served as SDB President in 2007 and was the recipient of many awards including: SDB’s Edwin G. Conklin Medal in 2002 and the Excellence in Science Award from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in 2011. She was a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the Royal Society in the U.K. Her extensive scientific progeny tells the impact of her contributions to mammalian developmental biology, isolation of pluripotent embryonic stem cells and FGFs’ actions on patterning of different organs, among other discoveries. As SDB president, Martin co-organized the First Pan-American Congress in Developmental Biology, with the Mexican and Latin American Societies for Developmental Biology. In her post-retirement life she served as a docent at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum.

Last Updated 02/17/2026