The lectureship is sponsored by the Division of Biological Chemistry of the American Chemical Society and the American Chemical Society’s “Biochemistry” journal.
The objective is to recognize and honor a single individual whose scientific contributions have had a major impact on research at the interface of chemistry and biology.
“Dr. Gerlt’s track record in defining the field of enzymology, and more recently, leading break-through technologies and biological applications to define functions for proteins of unknown function, has been a game-changer in biomedical sciences around the world,” says Susan Martinis, Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Stephen G. Sligar endowed professor.
“[Gerlt] is a visionary scientist whose impact on our understanding of protein function cannot be overstated,” says Alanna Schepartz, Editor-in-Chief of Biochemistry.
The Gordon Hammes Lectureship Award is named in honor of the father of University of Illinois Chemistry Professor Sharon Hammes-Schiffer.
Gerlt will present the Gordon Hammes lecture at a session in his honor at the 254th ACS National Meeting & Exposition in Washington, D.C., in August 2017.