LOS ANGELES, CA – The Protein Society, the premier international society dedicated to supporting protein research, announces the winners of the 2026 Protein Society Awards, which will be recognized at the 40th Anniversary Symposium, July 19 – 22, 2026, in Boston, MA, USA. Plenary talks from award recipients will take place throughout the 3.5-day event. The winners’ scientific accomplishments, described by their nominators below, demonstrate their profound impact on protein science.
The Christian B. Anfinsen Award , sponsored by The Protein Society, recognizes technological achievement or significant methodological advances in the field of protein science. The 2026 award winner is Professor Paula Booth (King’s College London). Dr. Booth is a pioneer in the study of membrane protein folding, particularly membrane protein kinetics. She is recognized for her formidable scientific creativity and problem-solving ability, as well as her dedication for more than 30 years to scientific rigor and sustaining a leading presence on the cutting edge of the membrane protein folding field.
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 2026 award winner is Professor Neil Osheroff (Vanderbilt University). Dr. Neil Osheroff is an exceptional protein biochemist whose pioneering research has profoundly advanced our understanding of DNA topoisomerases and their roles as targets for critical anticancer and antibacterial drugs. In addition to his scientific contributions, he has taught more than 4,000 physicians and scientists over a distinguished 43-year career at Vanderbilt University and is widely recognized for his transformative impact on medical science education.
The Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin Award , sponsored by Rigaku Corporation, is granted in recognition of exceptional contributions in protein science that profoundly influence our understanding of biology. The 2026 award winner is Professor Andreas Martin (University of California, Berkley). Dr. Martin has advanced our understanding of the macromolecular assemblies that mediate protein degradation and translocation, particularly the eukaryotic 26S proteasome. Through ingenious biochemical reconstitution, single-molecule assays, and structural analyses, he has made the proteasome one of the most thoroughly understood molecular machines in biology.
The Marie Maynard Daly Award , the newest award sponsored by The Protein Society, recognizes groundbreaking research at the interface between protein science and human health. The 2026 award winner is Professor Stephen Fesik (Vanderbilt University). Dr. Fesik is a world leader in the development and utilization of fragment-based methods and structure-based drug design approaches to develop new therapeutics targeting “undruggable” proteins. His innovative and pioneering research has revolutionized our methods for finding new cancer therapeutics and yielded critically important discoveries about cancer biology.
The Emil Thomas Kaiser Award , sponsored by generous individual contributions, recognizes a recent, highly-significant contribution to the application of chemistry in the study of proteins. The 2026 award winner is Professor Peng Chen (Peking University). Dr. Chen is an international leader in chemical biology, including his key innovative chemistry-based contributions to studying proteins in living cells as with control of time and position. His methods to target specific amino acids and/or subcellular compartments in cells and animals represents enabling technology for understanding and treating human diseases.
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 2026 award winner is Professor Charalampos Babis Kalodimos (St. Jude Children's Research Hospital). For more than 2 decades Dr. Kalodimos has been at the leading edge of the development and application of novel and powerful NMR methods for studies of protein structural dynamics, including allostery, and conformationally rare states of biomolecules that have profound implications to human health and disease.
The Stein & Moore Award , sponsored by The Protein Society and with support from Wiley, is named for Nobel laureates Dr. William Stein and Dr. Stanford Moore. The award recognizes eminent leaders in protein science who have made sustained, high-impact research contributions to the field. The 2026 recipient is Dr. G. Marius Clore FRS (National Institutes of Health). Dr. Clore is one of the pioneers in developing NMR into the powerful tool it is today for studying the structure and dynamics of proteins. Further, he developed innovative methods that revealed fleeting protein “dark” states central to molecular recognition, folding, and assembly. For over 40 years, he has continually expanded the reach of biomolecular NMR that have transformed structural biology.
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 2026 recipient is Professor Laura Dassama (Stanford University). Dr. Dassama is an emerging leader in the field of chemical biology with a particular focus on understanding and mitigating bacterial multidrug resistance (MDR). Dassama’s work has focused on identifying novel classes of sterol and other lipid binding proteins in poorly characterized bacteria, and the approach spans computational, biochemical, analytical, and structure determination.
Delegates, exhibitors, sponsors, and the press can learn more about the 40th Anniversary Symposium on The Protein Society website http://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 the discipline. Members of The Protein Society represent 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, Chief Executive Officer at 844.377.6834.