[1] Although he enjoyed biology in high school, Klionsky enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles while majoring in history.
[2] Upon completing his PhD, Klionsky accepted a Helen Hay Whitney postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology.
[1] He was eventually promoted to the rank of associate professor where he led a research team to create a "superyeast" that grew twice as fast as normal yeast after being frozen, dehydrated, or during brewing.
[1] During the beginning of his tenure at UMich, he received a 2003 Director's Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholars for his "aims to reform the introductory biology curriculum at the university by adapting techniques used by smaller colleges, including strategies that implement group learning exercises in lecture settings.
"[10] Following this, he was recognized with a University of Michigan Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award[8] and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.