Robert Clarke

Robert Clarke serves as Executive Director of The Hormel Institute and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics at the University of Minnesota's College of Biological Sciences. An internationally recognized breast cancer researcher, he leads multinational studies in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, University of Edinburgh, and Virginia Tech.

His research focuses on breast cancer systems biology, specializing in endocrine responsiveness, drug resistance mechanisms, and multi-omics data integration. Clarke's laboratory employs genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, and metabolomic approaches combined with machine learning to build predictive models of therapy resistance. Key research areas include the unfolded protein response, cell death mechanisms (apoptosis, ferroptosis, necroptosis), and signaling networks involving IRF1, NFkB, XBP1, and GRP78.

His publication trends reveal sustained leadership in translational breast cancer research, with recent emphasis on radiogenomics, maternal dietary impacts, and social determinants of cancer. Early work established foundational hormone-resistant breast cancer models now widely used in the field.

• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Medicine, and Biology
• NCI-Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer (2012-2015)
• Senior Editor for Cancer Research journal
• Former NCI Center for Cancer Systems Biology leader (2010-2016)

Clarke has secured significant NCI funding including the In Silico Research Center of Excellence (2009-2014). His mentoring extends through leadership roles as Georgetown University's Associate Vice President for Research (2007-2019) and Co-Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Current collaborations integrate engineering, biostatistics, and clinical oncology across multiple institutions.

His team maintains active laboratory facilities at The Hormel Institute focusing on translational models of endocrine resistance and tumor dormancy.