Edward Ziff studied Chemistry at Columbia University and received his PhD in Biochemistry from Princeton University. He then joined the laboratory of DNA sequencing pioneer Fred Sanger in Cambridge, where Ziff helped to develop the first DNA sequencing techniques. Ziff has also been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and his research includes many "firsts" in the areas of gene structure and control, cancer biology, and, more recently, brain function. He is professor of biochemistry and neural science at the New York University School of Medicine.