Susan A Henry

Dr. Susan Armstrong Henry, a distinguished molecular biologist and visionary academic leader, passed away on March 7, 2026. She was the devoted wife of the late Peter Edward Henry, whose steadfast support anchored her remarkable career. A pioneer in yeast genetics and lipid metabolism, she devoted her life to transformative research and the advancement of higher education, leaving an indelible mark on several of the nation’s leading research institutions.

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, she grew up in the D.C. area and attended high school in Maryland. Her childhood was shaped by her father’s Foreign Service career, which took the family across the globe, with extended periods in Russia, Canada, and most memorably Norway, where she lived between the ages of eight and twelve. Later, she spent formative time with her grandmother in New Hampshire and with her stepmother’s family in Maryland.

Dr. Henry earned a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Maryland in 1968, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and received her Ph.D. in Genetics from UC Berkeley in 1971. After postdoctoral work at Brandeis University, she joined the faculty of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in 1972, rising to full Professor. She later served as Head of Biological Sciences and Dean of the Mellon College of Science at Carnegie Mellon University before becoming the Ronald P. Lynch Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University in 2000. A Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics throughout her tenure, she guided the college until 2010 and continued as Dean Emerita until her retirement in 2020.

She is best known for discovering the “Henry Regulatory Circuit,” a fundamental genetic mechanism that controls whether lipids are used for cellular growth or stored as fat in yeast. Her pioneering use of baker’s yeast to identify lipid synthesis genes and enzymes created an essential framework for understanding human lipid metabolism and the molecular basis of diseases such as obesity and cancer. Her research appeared in leading journals including Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and the Journal of Biological Chemistry, and her numerous book chapters and reviews became foundational resources for generations of scientists.

Beyond her scientific achievements, Dr. Henry was a deeply committed mentor who took great pride in the accomplishments of the many Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows she guided. She is survived by her brother, David Armstrong; her daughter, Rebecca Alice Henry, and husband Chris Schafer; her son, Joshua Armstrong Henry, and wife Cheryl Deane; and her four grandchildren, Fiona, Liam, Minerva, and Pearl.