Susan Robbins

Susan B. Robbins (1946–2025)

 Scientist, seeker, mother, friend 

Susan B. Robbins, Ph.D., a pioneering molecular biologist, devoted mother, and lifelong advocate for communal living and scientific inquiry, passed away in Fort Collins, Colorado, after a long and courageous struggle with cancer. She was 78. 

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Susan’s early fascination with biology was encouraged by her parents—her father, a mechanical engineer turned eldercare administrator, and her mother, longtime director of the Cincinnati affiliate of the American Diabetes Association, remembered for her flair and humor (including her claim to have been kissed by Pete Rose). Susan’s curiosity about the natural world was nurtured on childhood trips to Hocking Hills and the caves of southern Ohio. The close proximity of Serpent Mound and other ancient Mound Builder sites sparked a lifelong love of science, story, and spirit. 

In the late 1960s, Susan and her partner Michael Hruby moved to San Francisco and joined the growing communal movement that was sweeping America. They moved into the Kaliflower Commune where they embraced the ideals of shared resources and social experimentation, raising their daughter Rachel in the heart of the counterculture. When Susan chose to leave the commune in 1972 to pursue a more stable path for Rachel, she never lost her connection to the values of mutual aid and community. For many years, she lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in a collective household, eventually gifting the home to a fellow resident. 

Susan returned to school in her 40s, earning a B.S. in Biology in 1990, and later completing her Ph.D. in Genetics at the University of West Virginia in 1997. Her postdoctoral research at the University of Cincinnati focused on the cellular mechanisms of cancer susceptibility, including key studies on the CHEK2 and Cdc25A genes and their roles in DNA damage response. Her co-authored work appeared in peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals such as Mutation Research, Cell Division, and Proceedings of Version 3 the National Academy of Sciences, and contributed to our understanding of how both environmental carcinogens and inherited genetic variants shape cancer risk. 

After retiring from her career in molecular biology, Susan moved to Fort Collins to be near Rachel, with whom she shared a deep and abiding bond. Despite ongoing health challenges, including multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, she remained intellectually curious, socially engaged, and fiercely independent. She was a member of the Burrow’s Bees discussion circle, where she shared stories from her life in the communes, her research years, and her thoughts on science, memory, and resistance. She also enjoyed nature walks, monthly talks by local naturalists, and reflecting on everything from graffiti justice to cave systems in Ohio. 

Susan is survived by her daughter, Rachel Robbins, and Rachel’s partner, Steve Jacobs, by her brother, Todd Robbins, who lives in Michigan, and by a wide circle of friends and comrades from every chapter of her life—from the communes of the 1960s and 70s to the cancer clinics and Zoom meetings of recent years. Her life bridged science and spirit, the personal and the political. Even in her final days, Susan’s sharp mind and playful wit never wavered—she continued to share her daily Wordle scores with a close circle of friends and had the winning combination just two days before she passed. She will be remembered for her fierce intelligence, wry humor, unstinting courage, and unyielding devotion to both truth and love.