Shirley M. Tilghman

Shirley Tilghman
Shirley Tilghman
Born	Shirley Marie Caldwell; September 17, 1946 (age 80); Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation(s)	Molecular biologist, academic leader
Years active	1980s–present
Known for	President emerita of Princeton University; molecular biology research; founding director of Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Shirley M. Tilghman, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025

Shirley Marie Tilghman (born Shirley Marie Caldwell on 17 September 1946) is a Canadian expert in molecular biology and a seasoned academic leader. She holds the titles of professor of molecular biology and public policy, as well as president emerita of Princeton University. In 2002, she was recognized by Discover as one of the 50 most influential women in the scientific field.

Tilghman served as the 19th president of Princeton University, marking several milestones: she was the institution’s first female president, its first leader with a background in biology, and only the second woman to lead an Ivy League university. Additionally, she is among the few international presidents at Princeton, being the fifth born outside the United States and second Canadian to assume this role.

Prior to her tenure as president, Tilghman dedicated fifteen years to Princeton’s faculty. After completing her presidency, she resumed teaching at the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, where she mentors undergraduates and supervises senior thesis projects. While not actively engaged in laboratory research currently, she continues to provide guidance and support to students.

Her influence extends internationally through leadership positions such as her presidency of the American Society for Cell Biology in 2015.

Early life and family

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Shirley Marie Caldwell was encouraged by her father to develop an early passion for mathematics through playful activities rather than storytelling. She completed her secondary education at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before earning an honours Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from Queen's University in 1968. Following graduation, Tilghman contributed to education by teaching at the secondary level in Sierra Leone via the Canadian University Services Overseas (CUSO) program. She then pursued doctoral studies at Temple University, where under Richard W. Hanson’s supervision she earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry with a dissertation titled "The Hormonal Regulation of Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase."

Research

Tilghman’s scientific investigations have primarily focused on molecular genetics, particularly gene regulation during developmental processes such as genomic imprinting.

During her time at the National Institutes of Health, she played a role in cloning the inaugural mammalian gene and provided evidence that the globin gene undergoes splicing—a finding that supported novel gene models emerging at that time. As an independent researcher affiliated with Fox Chase Cancer Center from 1980 to 1986 and concurrently serving as an adjunct associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, she furthered advancements in genetic science.

In 1986, Tilghman joined Princeton University as the Howard A. Prior Professor of Life Sciences. Two years later, she was appointed a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Her pioneering work involved utilizing genetically engineered mice to examine gene function and investigate how gene insertion affects embryonic cells.

She established Princeton's Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics in 1998 as its inaugural director, where her research continued to explore sex-specific genome organization and its influence on embryonic development.

Her numerous scientific articles are accessible through the PubMed repository maintained by the United States National Library of Medicine.

President of Princeton University

In 2001, Tilghman became the 19th president of Princeton University, succeeding Harold Tafler Shapiro and marking a historic milestone as the institution's first female president. She officially took office on June 15, following her announcement on May 5. Throughout her leadership, the undergraduate population grew by approximately 11 percent, adding around 500 students. Additionally, a sixth residential college was established, named in honor of alumna Meg Whitman, in alignment with recommendations from a Board of Trustees committee led by Paul M. Wythes. Tilghman declared her intention to step down in 2012, with Christopher L. Eisgruber, then serving as provost, assuming the presidency in June 2013.

Tilghman prioritized two fundamental objectives for Princeton: expanding access for gifted students worldwide through comprehensive financial aid programs and fostering advancements across a wide range of fields such as science, technology, social policy, and public policy.

The introduction of Whitman College alongside the renovation of Butler College transformed Princeton’s residential framework by integrating upperclassmen with underclassmen, thereby enriching social engagement and residential diversity. Initiatives were also undertaken to enhance collaboration between the university and Princeton’s independent eating clubs to elevate the undergraduate experience. In 2009, she commissioned a committee chaired by Nannerl O. Keohane tasked with evaluating and promoting leadership opportunities for undergraduate women at Princeton.

Academics

During her presidency, Tilghman spearheaded numerous academic developments including the founding of the Center for African American Studies, the Lewis Center for the Arts (named after alumnus Peter B. Lewis), the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, and the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment (honoring alumnus Gerhard R. Andlinger). These initiatives, combined with revitalizing the Department of Chemistry, capitalized on Princeton’s academic strengths and broadened its research capabilities, reflecting Tilghman's commitment to "making the world a better place through the power of the mind and the imagination."

Diversity

Tilghman’s administration focused on enhancing diversity among both faculty and students by improving access through expanded financial aid offerings and eliminating "early decision" admissions. She also encouraged interdisciplinary teaching and research while boosting Princeton's global engagement through programs such as the Global Scholars Program and the Bridge Year Program, which provides incoming students with an opportunity to participate in international public service before starting their studies.

Student loans

Under Tilghman’s guidance, Princeton replaced student loans with grant-based financial aid funded by its endowment, allowing graduates to complete their education without incurring debt.

Tuition

Although these initiatives were supported by growth in the university’s endowment, Tilghman clarified in a Wall Street Journal interview that tuition fees would remain in place, viewing this approach as both ethically responsible and financially sound.

Fundraising

Throughout her tenure, both the proportion of students receiving financial assistance and the average size of awards increased. These policies were underpinned by expansion of Princeton’s financial endowment, supplemented by tuition revenue and alumni contributions through the Annual Giving campaign, all essential components supporting the university’s operating budget and core mission.

Advocacy for Women in Hiring

Despite allegations that President Tilghman prioritized female candidates in recruitment, the majority of her senior appointments were men.

Among the distinguished women appointed to high-ranking positions were Amy Gutmann as provost, Anne-Marie Slaughter leading the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs as Dean, her successor Christina Paxson, Maria Klawe serving as Dean of Engineering, and Janet Lavin Rapelye as Dean of Admission. Gutmann later assumed the presidency at the University of Pennsylvania; Klawe became president at Harvey Mudd College; Slaughter held the role of Director of Policy and Planning at the U.S. State Department under Secretary Hillary Clinton; and Paxson went on to lead Brown University as president.

In parallel, Tilghman appointed several notable men to key leadership roles, including Charles Kalmbach as senior vice president for administration, David P. Dobkin as dean of the faculty, provost and eventual successor Christopher L. Eisgruber, and Vincent Poor who succeeded Klawe.

She also commissioned an evaluation on female undergraduate leadership at Princeton, chaired by Nannerl O. Keohane, which revealed a decline in early leadership prominence among women in recent years.

Ivy League Seven-Week Athletic Pause

Tilghman endorsed an Ivy League-wide seven-week moratorium on athletics, later adjusted, that barred intercollegiate athletes from mandatory practices and supervised sports activities during this interval to promote wider participation. This policy was inspired by research from former Princeton president William G. Bowen, whose book The Game of Life emphasized academic challenges faced by college athletes. However, critics questioned the book's conclusions and regarded the moratorium as restricting student freedom.

Dispute with University Donors

During Tilghman's tenure, Princeton became involved in a legal conflict with the Robertson family, significant benefactors whose children claimed that funds donated by their parents had been improperly utilized. Although these contributions had been consolidated into the university’s general endowment to enhance management and returns, the family sought their return for alternative purposes. The 2008 settlement included $40 million in legal fees paid to the Robertsons and $50 million plus accrued interest designated for a foundation dedicated to education in government service. Princeton retained the remainder for use by the Wilson School.

Issues Related to Corporate Boards

In August 2012, Tilghman received a subpoena both in her capacity as Princeton’s president and as a member of Google's board during litigation contesting a board-approved 2-for-1 stock split. This split was alleged to reduce shareholder voting influence while maintaining control for founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin. All Google board members were subpoenaed; specifically for Tilghman, requests included documentation of donations or pledges made by herself or Princeton to organizations connected with Page, Brin, Schmidt, or Google.

Precedents

Tilghman, despite facing some alumni opposition due to her support for affirmative action, streamlined the admissions system and enhanced on-campus living and dining facilities. She also strengthened Princeton's alumnae network, culminating in the notable "She Roars" conference. In her concluding year, Tilghman organized the university's inaugural large-scale celebration recognizing "alternative genders," hosting a pioneering LGBT alumni event that became a national model.

Internal roles

In her capacity as Princeton's president, Tilghman held an ex-officio position on the Board of Trustees and led the Honorary Degrees Committee. She ensured a seamless transition for her previous responsibilities: David Botstein succeeded her as head of the Lewis-Sigler Institute, while Ned S Wingreen assumed her professorial duties. Tilghman only disbanded her laboratory after all her mentees had finished their academic programs. Renowned for her teaching excellence, she maintained her instructional role throughout her presidency and was granted honorary alumna status upon her daughter’s enrollment.

External roles

Throughout her tenure as president, Tilghman was a member of Google's board of directors from 2005 until 2018, receiving 6,000 shares whose value exceeded her Princeton earnings, which had reached $533,057 by 2003. Beginning in 2001, she participated in Queen University's Chemistry Innovation Council to aid in advancing their programs in Kingston, Ontario. Additionally, she served on the board of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory during the early years of her presidency.

In 2006, Tilghman was among three university presidents invited to join Duke University's President's Council to investigate the lacrosse team controversy, playing a role in implementing reforms related to oversight and behavioral standards.

Successor

On September 21, 2012, Shirley informed the Princeton Board of Trustees of her intention to resign as the institution’s 19th president at the conclusion of that academic year. On April 21, 2013, Christopher L. Eisgruber was announced as her successor, with his term beginning July 1. Distinguished alumnus Peter Lewis ’55 commented that Tilghman would be remembered for cultivating an outstanding successor.

Personal life

Born Shirley Marie Caldwell, she married Joseph Tilghman in 1970 and adopted his surname. Their marriage ended in 1983, with custody of their two children awarded to her. Tilghman attributes effective time management and concentration as key factors enabling her to juggle an intense scientific career alongside family life. When interviewed for Princeton’s presidency, she sought confirmation that balancing family commitments with leading a major university was achievable before proceeding with her candidacy.

Memberships

Tilghman holds prestigious memberships including:

Member of the American Philosophical Society (2000)
Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Sciences specializing in Cellular and Developmental Biology and Genetics
Member of the Institute of Medicine
Fellow of the Royal Society (1995)
Founding member of the International Mammalian Genome Society
Honorary Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) (2014)

She serves as a trustee for both the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. From 1993 through 2000, Tilghman chaired Princeton’s Council on Science and Technology, fostering interdisciplinary science education. In 1996, she was honored with Princeton’s President's Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Tilghman has been granted honorary membership by nineteen graduating classes at Princeton, spanning from 1941 to 2005.

Awards

Throughout her distinguished career, Tilghman has been honored with a wide array of esteemed accolades, such as:

Women in Cell Biology Award from the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) (2000)
L'Oréal-UNESCO Prize for Women in Science (2002)
Society for Developmental Biology Lifetime Achievement Award (2003)
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Medal recognizing exceptional biomedical research contributions (2005)
Genetics Society of America Medal (2007)
American Dream Award celebrating successful immigrants in the United States (2007)
Henry G. Friesen International Prize in Health Research (2010)
Officer designation within the Order of Canada (2014)
Benjamin Franklin Creativity Laureate in Science and Public Service awarded by the Creativity Foundation (2014)
Person of the Year accolade from Science Careers, a Journal of Science publication (2014)
UCSF Medal (2017)
Patrusky Lectureship (2018)
Helen Dean King Award (2018)

Honorary degrees

As the 19th president of Princeton University, she has been bestowed with more than 19 honorary degrees from various institutions, including:

Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Bard College (2002)
Honorary degree from Dickinson College (2002)
Honorary Doctor of Laws from Simon Fraser University (2002)
Honorary degree granted by the University of British Columbia (2002)
Honorary Doctor of Science awarded by Yale University (2002)
Honorary Doctor of Laws from Rider University (2002)
Honorary degree conferred by Drew University (2004)
Honorary Doctor of Laws from Harvard University (2004)
Honorary degree from Watson School of Biological Sciences at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories (2004)
Honorary Doctor of Science from Columbia University (2005)
Honorary Doctor of Science awarded by New York University (2005)
Honorary doctorate granted by Rockefeller University (2006)
Honorary Doctor of Science from Rutgers University (2006)
Honorary degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland (2007)
Honorary doctorate awarded by Ryerson University (2007)
Honorary Doctor of Science from Washington University (2007)
Honorary Doctor of Human Letters conferred by Amherst College (2008)
Honorary degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (2008)
Honorary Doctor of Science awarded by UMBC (2009)
Honorary Doctor of Laws from Princeton University itself (2013)

Roles after Princeton presidency

Following her tenure as Princeton’s president, Tilghman continues her academic involvement as a faculty member within Princeton’s Department of Molecular Biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics.

She maintained her position on Google’s board after stepping down, with then-CEO Eric Schmidt acknowledging her significant impact. In addition, Tilghman holds trustee roles at Amherst College and the Institute for Advanced Study. Her governance extends to Brookhaven Science Associates, which oversees Brookhaven National Laboratory, as well as the Broad Institute—a joint research initiative between Harvard and MIT. Furthermore, she serves as a Trustee for LEDA, an organization committed to cultivating diverse leadership in America.

In 2013, she was elected to assume the presidency of the American Society for Cell Biology, a role she fulfilled starting in 2015.

Quotes

"What made it truly thrilling was that the genes were organized in a way that was totally unexpected. So nature took us by surprise."

"Extensive social science research spanning 25 years reveals numerous cultural factors that deter women from pursuing careers in science and engineering. The evidence is overwhelming. In contrast, there is no data supporting innate differences between men’s and women’s abilities in natural sciences."

Reflecting on her sabbatical before resuming teaching duties in 2014, Tilghman remarked, "I’m going to be an attentive grandmother."

Discussing her initiative to establish a backup day-care service for Princeton employees in 2007—stemming from her own experience balancing professional and family responsibilities—she stated, "For years, I had said that when I retired, I would start a company that hired retired people to sit for working mothers..."

Publications

Tilghman's research contributions are detailed in the Research section. Among her significant additional works are:

Tilghman, Shirley, and colleagues (1994) The Funding of Young Investigators in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
Tilghman, Shirley, along with the National Research Council Committee on Dimensions, Causes, and Implications of Recent Trends in the Careers of Life Scientists (1998) Trends in the Careers of Life Scientists. Molecular Biology of the Cell Vol. 9, 3007–3015
Tilghman, Shirley (1999) The Sins of the Fathers and Mothers: Genomic Imprinting in Mammalian Development. Cell Volume 96, Issue 2
Tilghman, Shirley, et al. (2014) Rescuing US Biomedical Research from its Systemic Flaws; Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), vol. 111, no. 16

Throughout her tenure as Princeton's president, Tilghman penned the "President's Page" column for every edition of the Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW), with past issues accessible online.

Speeches

During her presidency at Princeton University, Tilghman delivered eleven Commencement speeches, all of which can be found on the Princeton president’s office website.

In addition to these, she has addressed numerous other graduation ceremonies and honorary degree events.

Among her distinguished presentations are:

Dehejia Lecture at Sidwell Friends School: "Science: The Last Frontier" (2006)
Ullyot Public Affairs Lecture at Chemical Heritage Foundation: "Strategy or Happenstance: Science Policy in the U.S.A." (2007)
Baldwin Lecture at Princeton University: "The Meaning of Race in the Post-Genome Era" (2010)
Inaugural address for Anthony Monaco as president of Tufts University (2011)
Testimony before the United States Congress regarding Immigration and Visas

Additional notable address:

Tilghman, Shirley (2005) Recruiting, Retaining and Advancing Women Scientists in Academia. Delivered on March 24 at Columbia University.

External links