Fifteen scientists named ASBMB award winners

The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology this week named 15 scientists the winners of its annual awards.

Winners were nominated by colleagues and other leaders in their fields for making significant contributions to biochemistry and molecular biology. The recipients will give talks about their research and teaching at the society's 2016 annual meeting, which will be held in conjunction with the Experimental Biology conference April 2-6 in San Diego.

Charles Brenner, professor and chairman of the biochemistry department at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, won the 2016 ASBMB Award for Exemplary Contributions to Education. This award includes a cash prize of $3,000 and is given annually to a scientist who encourages effective teaching and learning of biochemistry and molecular biology through his or her own teaching, leadership in education, writing, educational research, mentoring or public enlightenment.

ASBMB-Merck Award

Ronald Breaker, a professor at Yale University and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, won the 2016 ASBMB-Merck Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to research in biochemistry and molecular biology. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize.

ASBMB Young Investigator Award

Cell biologist Cole Haynes at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center won the 2016 Young Investigator Award. The award includes a $5,000 cash prize and recognizes outstanding research contributions to biochemistry and molecular biology by a scientist who has no more than 15 years postdoctoral experience.

Avanti Award in Lipids

Robert Farese Jr., a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, won the Avanti Award in Lipids, which recognizes outstanding research contributions in the area of lipids and includes a $3,000 cash prize.

Michael Ferguson, the Regius professor and associate dean of research strategy at the University of Dundee School of Life Sciences, won the Alice and C.C. Wang Award in Molecular Parasitology. The award recognizes established investigators who are making seminal contributions to the field of molecular parasitology. Novel and significant discoveries on the biology of parasitic organisms are of particular emphasis. The award includes a $35,000 cash prize for use by the recipient's research laboratory and the winner is also invited to organize a half-day symposium focusing on molecular parasitology at the ASBMB national meeting.

Bert and Natalie Vallee Award

Aziz Sancar, a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, won the 2016 Bert and Natalie Vallee Award in Biomedical Science. The award, which was established by the Bert and N. Kuggie Vallee Foundation in 2012, recognizes international achievements in the sciences basic to medicine and consists of a $10,000 cash prize.

Todd Yeates, professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, won the 2016 DeLano Award for Computational Biosciences. The award was established by family, friends and colleagues to honor the legacy of Warren L. DeLano, the creator of the widely used PyMOL open-source molecular viewer. The award, which includes a $3,000 cash prize, is given to a scientist for the most accessible and innovative development or application of computer technology to enhance research in the life sciences at the molecular level.

Earl and Thressa Stadtman Scholar Award

Georgios Skiniotis, a research associate professor at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute, where his lab is located, an associate professor of biological chemistry at the University of Michigan Medical School, and a Pew scholar of biomedical sciences, and Luciano Marraffini, an assistant professor at The Rockefeller University, won the 2016 Earl and Thressa Stadtman Scholar Award. The award was established by friends and colleagues of the Stadtmans to preserve their legacies as scientists and mentors. It includes a $10,000 cash award and is given to scientists with 10 or fewer years of postdoctoral experience, including medical residencies and fellowships.

Herbert Tabor Research Award

Robert Roeder, professor and head of the Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The Rockefeller University, won the 2016 Herbert Tabor Research Award. This award was established by the ASBMB to recognize the many contributions of Herbert Tabor, who served as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Biological Chemistry for about four decades. It is given for excellence in biological chemistry, molecular biology and contributions to the community of scientists and includes a $30,000 research award.

Mildred Cohn Award in Biological Chemistry

Eva Nogales, a senior faculty scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, won the 2016 Mildred Cohn Award in Biological Chemistry. The award recognizes scientists at all stages of their careers who have made substantial advances in understanding biological chemistry using innovative physical approaches. The award was established to honor the pioneering scientific accomplishments and the spirit of the late Cohn, the first female president of the society, and includes a $5,000 cash prize

Avery August, a professor of immunology and chairman of the microbiology and immunology department at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, won the 2016 Ruth Kirschstein Diversity in Science Award. This award was established to honor an outstanding scientist who has shown a strong commitment to encouraging underrepresented minorities to enter the scientific enterprise and who has offered effective mentorship of those within it. The winner is chosen by the ASBMB's Minority Affairs Committee and the award includes a $3,000 cash prize.

Walter Shaw Young Investigator Award in Lipids

Christer Ejsing, an associate professor at the University of Southern Denmark, won the 2016 Walter Shaw Young Investigator Award in Lipids. The award was established by ASBMB's Lipid Research Division and recognizes outstanding research contributions in the area of lipids by young investigators who are assistant professors (or equivalent) with no more than 10 years of experience since receiving their degrees (Ph.D. and/or M.D.). It includes a $2,000 cash prize.

Willliam C. Rose Award

Susan Baserga, a professor at Yale University, won the 2016 William C. Rose Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to biochemical and molecular biological research and a demonstrated commitment to the training of younger scientists. The award consists of a $3,000 cash prize.

Herbert Sober Lectureship

Stephen Sligar, director of the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, won the 2016 Herbert Sober Lectureship, which consists of a $3,000 cash prize and recognizes outstanding biochemical and molecular biological research, with particular emphasis on development of methods and techniques to aid in research.

In addition to the cash prize, each ASBMB award consists of a plaque and transportation expenses to present a lecture at the annual ASBMB meeting.

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For more on the ASBMB awards visit: http://asbmb.org/awards/2016/.

For photos of the winners follow this link: https://app.box.com/s/vl101l0feogb4h6e54izkx5s15bngvnj.

If the photo you are looking for is not listed, please contact Allison Frick at africk@asbmb.org.