During more than 50 years on the faculty at MIT, Hynes was a deeply respected academic leader, educator, mentor, and cancer biologist whose discoveries reshaped modern understanding of how cells interact with each other and their environment. The Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research, Emeritus, emeritus professor of biology, and a member of the Koch Institute and Broad Institute, Hynes discovered integrins, a family of cell-surface receptors essential to cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesion. He played a critical role in establishing the field of cell adhesion biology, and his continuing research revealed mechanisms central to embryonic development, tissue integrity, and diseases, including cancer, fibrosis, thrombosis, and immune disorders.