Lila Gierasch

Lila Mary Gierasch (born 1948 in Needham, Massachusetts) is an American biochemist and biophysicist. At present, she is a distinguished Professor working on "protein folding in the cell" in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts—Amherst.[2]

Lila Gierasch
Born1948 (age 74–75)
Needham, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
Academic background
Alma materMount Holyoke College
Harvard University
Doctoral advisorElkan R. Blout[1]
Academic work
DisciplineBiochemistry
Biophysics
InstitutionsUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
Websitehttps://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.[3] She graduated in 1970 with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, and earned her doctorate in biophysics from Harvard University in 1975.[4]

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.[5] In 1994, Gierasch returned to Massachusetts to become a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[6] She is currently a Distinguished Professor within the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.[7] She served as the Editor In Chief, Journal of Biological Chemistry (JBC) from 2016 to 2021.

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.[4] 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.[8]

Honors and service

Gierasch was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2016.[9] In 2019, she was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.[10]

Gierasch served as the editor-in-chief for the Journal of Biological Chemistry between 2016[9] and 2021.[11]

Awards

References
  1. "Gierasch lauded as 'rigorous biophysical chemist' and 'phenomenal mentor'". ASBMB Today. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  2. "| Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  3. "Scientist-Educator Nominated as Alumnae Trustee". Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Association. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  4. "Lila M. Gierasch". National Academy of Sciences member directory. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  5. Curriculum vitae—Lila M. Gierasch. Gierasch Lab, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Accessed 26 August 2014.
  6. Biophysicist in Profile: Lila Gierasch. Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine Biophysical Society Newsletter, January/February 2003. Accessed 26 August 2014.
  7. "Lila M. Gierasch". University of Massachusetts Amherst. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  8. 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.
  9. "Meet Lila Gierasch, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Biological Chemistry". ASBMB Today. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  10. "2019 NAS Election". www.nasonline.org. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  11. "The Journal of Biological Chemistry welcomes new Editor-in-Chief Alex Toker". Journal of Biological Chemistry. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  12. "The Vincent du Vigneaud Award". American Peptide Society. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  13. The Second Mary Lyon Award Dinner on Mary Lyon's Birthday. Prospect Hall, Mount Holyoke College, February 1985 (MHC Digital Collections). Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  14. "Search Results - John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation". October 6, 2012. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2019.
  15. "Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal Recipients". American Chemical Society. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  16. 2006 Pioneer Award Recipients. NIH Director's Pioneer Award program, National Institutes of Health. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
  17. Gierasch Wins Mildred Cohn Award in Biological Chemistry. News and Media Relations, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
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