[3] Schatten was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship for 1976–1977 to conduct mentored research under the direction of Daniel Mazia at UC Berkeley.
[4] Schatten's work on fertilization examines the differential inheritance of cellular components contributed by the sperm and egg, respectively, as well as the program of oocyte activation and cell division during meiosis and mitosis.
His group has demonstrated the importance of the sperm centrosome-centriole complex during mammalian fertilization (including humans), with the unexpected exception of rodents in which the centrosome is of maternal origin (see Selected Publications).
In his first published paper, he demonstrated the utility of polylysine and other engineered peptides that could adhere to cells, embryos, and intracellular structures for various microscopic applications and purifications (see Selected Publications).
In 2005, Schatten came to widespread media attention when he broke off his 20-month collaboration with Hwang Woo-suk, a Korean stem cell researcher, after reporting first ethical, and later scientific, lapses.
[5] In 2004 and 2005, Hwang claimed that his lab at the Seoul National University had successfully extracted stem cells from cloned human embryos, a statement later proved false.
[5] Finished in February 2006, the investigation committee concluded that "Dr. Schatten shirked these responsibilities, a serious failure that facilitated the publication of falsified experiments in Science magazine.
[7] As with his and the other two co-Founders (Joan Hunt and Kelly Mayo) National Institute of Child Health and Human Development - Burroughs Wellcome Fund - Howard Hughes Medical Institute-sponsored "Frontiers in Reproduction" course at the Woods Hole laboratory, this endeavor brings physician-scientists together with non-clinical counterparts for full-time, side-by-side, hands-on research training.
Schatten's honors include: Stuyvesant High School's Biology Medal (1967); The Rockefeller Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships (1976- 1977); Researcher, Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg.
Human Fertilization Expert for Terrance Malick's movie Voyage of Life (Imax and theatrical versions; 2016); MBL Woods Hole FOUNDER'S AWARD October MBL's Frontiers in Stem Cells and Regeneration Course (2018); Johan Gregor Mendel Medal for Outstanding Contributions in Science (2019) at Mendel's Augustinian Abbey in Brno Czech Republic; the film 2021 Academy Award-nominated "Crip Camp" produced by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, documents the critical role of CAMP JENED, which empowered disabled youth leaders who later fought for and eventually saw enacted the AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (www.netflix.com/title/81001496 ) documents the summer of 1971; Schatten was a counselor there in preceding years of 1969 and 1970.