Upcoming opportunities

Sept. 30: ASBMB's professional development webinar on the power of "Yes" and knowing when to use it

In academic and professional circles, much attention is given to learning when to say "no" to protect time, prevent burnout and set boundaries. But equally important, and less often discussed, is knowing when to say "yes." Saying "yes" can open doors to unexpected growth, meaningful experiences and career-shaping opportunities.

This webinar, which starts at 1 p.m. Eastern, will build on earlier conversations about setting limits and shifts the focus toward the power of saying "yes." Through personal stories from speakers navigating leadership roles, national service, mentoring commitments and outreach, panelists will reflect on the choices that led to growth and fulfillment, even when the timing wasn’t perfect.

Attendees will leave with insights into how to evaluate opportunities, weigh competing demands, and recognize when saying yes can lead to valuable personal and professional development. The session will feature a panel discussion followed by 20 minutes of audience Q&A to allow for dialogue and shared insights. Free registration is required.

Oct. 6: #ASBMB26 abstract submissions and travel award applications open

Present your research alongside other outstanding scientists who are driving research forward and making future discoveries and applications possible.

The 2026 ASBMB Annual Meeting fosters cross-disciplinary exchange, creating valuable opportunities to connect, collaborate and advance discovery. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the conversation shaping the future — submit your abstract to share your work with thousands of researchers driving discovery in the molecular life sciences.

Abstracts will be reviewed by the program planning and meetings committees for scheduling as talks or posters. Abstracts presented at the 2026 ASBMB Annual Meeting will be published in a virtual supplement to the Journal of Biological Chemistry, one of ASBMB's gold open-access publications. Abstract submissions and travel award applications open Oct. 6. See this year's abstract categories and learn more about submitting.

Oct. 8: ASBMB Breakthroughs webinar on the surprising enzymatic role of OB-fold containing proteins in translational fidelity

The ASBMB Breakthroughs webinar series offers a window into the cutting-edge biochemistry and molecular biology research driving discovery. Each month, this series highlights groundbreaking research, pioneering methodologies, and emerging trends redefining the boundaries of science.

The next webinar, "Surprising enzymatic role of OB-fold containing proteins in translational fidelity," will be at 12:15 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 8 with Karin Musier–Forsyth of Ohio State University.

In eukaryotes, aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) team up with non-ARS proteins to form large multi-enzyme complexes (MSCs). We recently showed that in Trypanosoma brucei some of these “scaffold” proteins do more than just support—they actively edit tRNAs. One protein, MCP1, unexpectedly removes small amino acids such as alanine and serine from tRNAs, despite lacking any known editing domains. This editing ability comes from its oligosaccharide/oligonucleotide-binding (OB) fold, with key amino acids driving the reaction. Excitingly, similar MSC scaffold proteins in yeast and humans also show this activity, revealing a surprising, conserved function and an entirely new family of tRNA-editing enzymes. Learn more and register.

Recordings of past webinars are available on-demand, including these recent presentations:

• Sept. 2025: "Reciprocal regulation between fibrinolysis and lipid metabolism" with Ze Zheng of the Medical College of Wisconsin Versiti Blood Research Institute.
• August 2025: "Chemical approaches to sorting out histone modifications" with Phil Cole of Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
• July 2025: "Nuclear second messenger signaling: How phospholipids, bilirubin and inositol phosphates directly control gene expression" with Ray Blind of Vanderbilt University. Read about Blind's talk in ASBMB Today. 
• June 2025: "Intra- and inter-cellular communication within a virus microenvironment" with Ileana Cristea of Princeton University. Read about Cristea's talk in ASBMB Today.
• May 2025: "Biosynthesis and regulation of plant phenolic compounds" with Erich Grotewold, professor of plant biology at Michigan State University. Read about Grotewold's talk in ASBMB Today.
• March 2025: "Evolution of metallo-β-lactamases: A journey from the test tube to the bacterial periplasm" with Alejandro Vila of the University of Rosario. Read about Vila's talk in ASBMB Today.

ASBMB Lipid Research Division seminar series on lipids and lipid signaling

The ASBMB Lipid Research Division Seminar Series features free, monthly presentations from young researchers highlighting their recent work in the field of lipids. Stay tuned for details about the next seminar, and watch recent sessions on-demand.

Do you have a great idea for a scientific event?

We are now accepting proposals for scientific events to be held in 2024 and 2025. You pick the topic, the sessions and the speakers, and we’ll do the rest.

That’s right! We’ll manage registration, market the event to tens of thousands of scientists, and handle all the logistics so that you can focus on the science.  

The top areas of research interest among ASBMB members include the following, but we’ll consider all proposals:  

• Protein structure and folding 
• Molecular bases of disease 
• Gene regulation 
• Signal transduction 
• Metabolism 

What molecule, method or research question needs more attention? We’re here to help you realize your vision and deliver cutting-edge science to the BMB community. 

Propose an event.