The Institute for Integrative Genome Biology at the University of California, Riverside awarded its inaugural Natasha V. Raikhel Award in Research Innovation and Science Leadership to Thomas Girke, Professor of Bioinformatics and Director of UCR’s High Performance Computing Center. Announced during the Center for Plant Cell Biology’s 15th Annual Symposium and Awards Ceremony on December 8, this award honors the legacy of previous Center Director Natasha Raikhel in recognizing Thomas’ outstanding leadership in computational biology and the life sciences. Not only did Thomas receive the great pleasure of having Natasha in attendance for this special commendation, but he was also heartily congratulated by Dame Caroline Dean OBE of the John Innes Center, who served as the Symposium’s Distinguished Noel T. Keen Lecturer.