Lila Gierasch
Lila Mary Gierasch (born 1948 in Needham, Massachusetts) is an American biochemist and biophysicist.
Lila Gierasch | |
---|---|
Born | 1948 (age 74–75) |
Nationality | American |
Academic background | |
Alma mater | Mount Holyoke College Harvard University |
Doctoral advisor | Elkan R. Blout[1] |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Biochemistry Biophysics |
Institutions | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
Website | https://www.umass.edu/biochemistry-molecular-biology/faculty/lila-gierasch |
Education and early career
Lila M. Gierasch, like her mother Marian Bookhout Gierasch, studied at Mount Holyoke College.[2] She graduated in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, and earned her doctorate in biophysics from Harvard University in 1975.[3]
Research and career
In 1974, Gierasch began teaching at Amherst College, where she worked as an assistant professor in chemistry. She worked under Jean-Marie Lehn at Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg between 1977 and 1978. In 1979 she went to University of Delaware for a position as an assistant professor, and was promoted to a professor in chemistry in 1985. In 1988 she moved to the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, where she worked as a professor in pharmacology and served as the Robert A. Welch Professor of Biochemistry.[4] In 1994, Gierasch returned to Massachusetts to become a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[5] She is currently a Distinguished Professor within the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.[6]
Gierasch's research has focused on the issue of protein folding. She has studied the relationship between amino acid sequences and protein structure, focusing in particular on how proteins fold in vivo.[3] Her recent work has utilized computer modeling to analyze how the protein folding process occurs.[1]
Personal life
Gierasch met her husband John Pylant in Texas, and they were married in 1991.[7]
Honors and service
Gierasch was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.[8] In 2019, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.[9]
Gierasch served as the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Biological Chemistry between 2016[8] and 2021.[10]
Awards
- 1984: Vincent du Vigneaud Award (American Peptide Society)[11]
- 1985: Mary Lyon Award (Mount Holyoke College)[12]
- 1986: Guggenheim Fellowship[13]
- 1999: Chancellor’s Medal (University of Massachusetts)[4]
- 2006: Garvan–Olin Medal (American Chemical Society)[14]
- 2006: Pioneer Award (National Institutes of Health)[15]
- 2014: Mildred Cohn Award (American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)[16]
- 2018: Ralph F. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry (American Chemical Society)
- 2019: R. Bruce Merrifield Award (American Peptide Society)
References
- "Gierasch lauded as 'rigorous biophysical chemist' and 'phenomenal mentor'". ASBMB Today. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- "Scientist-Educator Nominated as Alumnae Trustee". Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Association. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- "Lila M. Gierasch". National Academy of Sciences member directory. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- Curriculum vitae—Lila M. Gierasch. Gierasch Lab, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Accessed 26 August 2014.
- Biophysicist in Profile: Lila Gierasch. Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine Biophysical Society Newsletter, January/February 2003. Accessed 26 August 2014.
- "Lila M. Gierasch". University of Massachusetts Amherst. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- JOHN PYLANT LILA GIERASCH, Texas Marriage Record Index, 1966–2008. Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Mocavo, DC Thomson Family History. Accessed 30 August 2014.
- "Meet Lila Gierasch, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Biological Chemistry". ASBMB Today. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- "2019 NAS Election". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- "The Journal of Biological Chemistry welcomes new Editor-in-Chief Alex Toker". Journal of Biological Chemistry. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- "The Vincent du Vigneaud Award". American Peptide Society. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- The Second Mary Lyon Award Dinner on Mary Lyon's Birthday. Prospect Hall, Mount Holyoke College, Februar 1985 (MHC Digital Collections). Abgerufen am 25. April 2019.
- "Search Results - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation". October 6, 2012. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
- "Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal Recipients". American Chemical Society. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
- 2006 Pioneer Award Recipients. NIH Director's Pioneer Award program, National Institutes of Health. Abgerufen am 26. August 2014.
- Gierasch Wins Mildred Cohn Award in Biological Chemistry. News and Media Relations, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Abgerufen am 26. August 2014.