FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 22, 2023
THE PROTEIN SOCIETY ANNOUNCES ITS 2023 AWARD RECIPIENTS
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Protein Society, the premier international society dedicated to supporting protein research, announces the winners of the 2023 Protein Society Awards, which will be conferred at the 37th Anniversary Symposium, July 13 – 16, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. Plenary talks from select award recipients will take place throughout the 3.5-day event. The scientific accomplishments of the awardees, highlighted here as described by their nominators, demonstrate their lasting impact on protein science.
The Carl Brändén Award, sponsored by Rigaku Corporation, honors an outstanding protein scientist who has also made exceptional contributions in the areas of education and/or service to the field. The 2023 recipient of this award is Professor Arthur Lesk (Penn State University). Dr. Lesk influenced generations of scientists with his analyses of protein structure and evolution, as well as with his textbooks on protein science, genomics, and bioinformatics.
The Christian B. Anfinsen Award, sponsored by The Protein Society, recognizes technological achievement or significant methodological advances in the field of protein science. The 2023 recipient of this award is Professor Mei Hong (MIT). Dr. Hong created innovative tools to interrogate protein structure and dynamics using solid-state NMR spectroscopy.
The Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Award, sponsored by Genentech, is granted in recognition of exceptional contributions in protein science which profoundly influence our understanding of biology. The 2023 recipient is Professor Patricia Clark (University of Notre Dame). Dr. Clark has shed light on mechanisms of co-translational folding, codon usage, and other factors that influence protein structure in vivo.
The new Marie Maynard Daly Award honors its namesake, who was the first Black woman to receive a Ph.D. degree in the United States, conducting pioneering research on chromatin, the ribosome, and cholesterol-hypertension relationships. This award recognizes groundbreaking research at the interface between protein science and human health. The 2023 inaugural recipient is Professor Renã Robinson (Vanderbilt University). Dr. Robinson has pioneered the application and development of mass spectrometry-based proteomics to study aging and neurodegeneration, with a particular focus on health disparities in minority populations.
The Emil Thomas Kaiser Award, sponsored by generous individual contributions, recognizes a recent and highly-significant application of chemistry to the study of proteins. The 2023 recipient is Professor Jason Gestwicki (University of California San Francisco). Dr. Gestwicki has developed innovative tools and approaches to target diseases of protein misfolding.
The Hans Neurath Award, sponsored by the Hans Neurath Foundation, honors individuals who have made a recent contribution of exceptional merit to basic protein research. The 2023 recipient is Professor Elena Conti (Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry). Dr. Conti is recognized for her discovery of mechanisms of RNA export, processing, and quality control in the cell.
The Stein & Moore Award, sponsored by The Protein Society and with support from Wiley, recognizes eminent leaders in protein science who have made sustained high impact research contributions to the field. The 2023 recipient is Professor Kevin Gardner (CUNY Advanced Science Research Center). Dr. Gardner has studied the structure, dynamics, and function of ligand-regulated protein/protein interaction domains from bacteria, plants, and humans to develop innovative optogenetic tools and cancer therapeutics.
The Protein Science Young Investigator Award, sponsored by Wiley, recognizes scientists within their first 8 years of an independent career at the time of nomination who have made an important contribution to the study of proteins. The 2023 recipient is Professor Polly Fordyce (Stanford University). Dr. Fordyce has developed innovative microfluidic systems to study how protein sequence encodes fuction at a large scale.
Delegates, exhibitors, sponsors, and the press can learn more about the 37th Anniversary Symposium on The Protein Society website: www.proteinsociety.org.
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The Protein Society is the leading international Society devoted to furthering research and development in protein science. Founded in 1986, the purpose of the Society is to provide international forums to facilitate communication, cooperation, and collaboration regarding all aspects of the study of proteins. In support of these goals, the Society publishes Protein Science, the premier journal in the field, hosts an annual international symposium, and facilitates the education of early-career protein scientists across all lines of discipline. The membership of Protein Society represents a wide spectrum of academic, industry, governmental, and non-profit institutions from more than 40 countries around the world. Media inquiries can be directed to Raluca Cadar, Executive Director at 844.377.6834, rcadar@proteinsociety.org.