2026 voter guide
Each year, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology solicits nominations from members for elected positions within the society and the Nominating Committee reviews and selects candidates for vacant elected positions. In its deliberations, the committee considered myriad factors including scientific expertise, institution, other demographic information, relevant leadership experience and previous involvement with ASBMB.
The ASBMB election opened January 5. Current professional, early career and emeritus members are eligible to vote. This year, ASBMB is working with partner ElectionBuddy to administer the election. Eligible voting members received a personalized link to vote from invitations@mail.electionbuddy.com.
By voting in ASBMB’s annual elections, you can guide ASBMB's future leadership and direction. We encourage you to participate!
Voting ends January 28.
Candidate for Treasurer-elect
The Treasurer is responsible for the custody of all funds and securities of ASBMB and reports semi-annually to the President and the Council on the financial condition of the society. Learn more about this position here.
Voters select one candidate from one nominee.
Russell DeBose–Boyd
Chair in biomedical science and professor, Department of Molecular Genetics
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Statement of interest: I have been a member of the ASBMB for the past 20 years, and my career has greatly benefited from the society through participation in the ASBMB annual meeting and the Deuel Conference on Lipids and as an author and member of the editorial team of ASBMB journals. I currently serve as an associate editor for the Journal of Lipid Research and as an editorial board member for the Journal of Biological Chemistry. I am particularly excited about my most recent role as a mentor for the ASBMB MOSAIC K99/00 program.
It has been an honor to contribute to the ASBMB as the interim treasurer since late fall of 2023; I am interested in continuing to serve the society in this capacity. I look forward to working with the Council, staff leadership and the Finance Committee to ensure the ASBMB remains on a solid financial foundation, allowing sustained growth of its journals and meetings as well as educational and professional-development programs for years to come.
Candidates for Council
Council is the ASBMB governing body, which has the authority to and is responsible for governing ASBMB. The Council establishes policy and monitors implementation by ASBMB’s staff under the direction of the CEO. Councilors seek to achieve the mission of the society and ensure that ASBMB is well maintained, financially secure and operating in the best interests of the membership and profession. Learn more about this position here.
Voters select two candidates from four nominees.
Catherine Drennan
Professor of biology & chemistry and Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Statement of interest: I joined ASBMB as a graduate student, and in 30 years of attending ASBMB meetings, I have been overjoyed to watch women’s networking events grow from two-table, snacks-provided events to ballroom-sized dinner events. I have been thrilled to watch the undergraduate poster competition, which I started as a postdoc in 1999 with a handful of clipboards and six judges, grow into a megaevent that showcases undergraduate research and undergraduate researchers from all types of colleges and universities. As a council member, my goal is to assist the ASBMB in their mission to support ASBMB members and to advocate for the field of biochemistry and molecular biology.
Read the full candidate profile.
Marina Holz
Professor, special assistant to the chancellor, and dean
New York Medical College
Statement of interest: I am honored to stand for election to the ASBMB Council and to continue serving the society in a strategic leadership capacity. As an ASBMB Fellow elected in 2024, I am committed to advancing ASBMB’s mission and supporting a strong, inclusive, and sustainable scientific community.
I serve as Dean of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at New York Medical College, Professor of Cell Biology and Anatomy, and Special Assistant to the Chancellor. I lead an extramurally funded research program focused on translational studies of cancer and rare diseases, and my scholarship also addresses mental health and well-being in academia.
My involvement with ASBMB spans my entire career. I currently serve on the Membership Committee, where I lead the Group Memberships and Chapters Task Force. I am a member of the Journal of Biological Chemistry Editorial Board, and my publications as both trainee and senior author have appeared in JBC and Molecular & Cellular Proteomics. I served two terms on the Women in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Committee (2019–2024), where I developed society-wide professional development programming, including “Nuggets of Wisdom for Academic Job Applications”. I have also served as a mentor in the IMAGE program since 2018 and now serve on its Steering Committee.
I have contributed to the ASBMB annual meeting as both a scientist and academic leader, including service as a session organizer, undergraduate poster judge and as a speaker on leadership development. I have further supported ASBMB’s outreach through contributions to ASBMB Today, including “The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Squeezing Women Out of Science”, one of the most-read articles of 2020. Earlier in my career, I established an ASBMB undergraduate chapter at Yeshiva University and supported undergraduate participation in ASBMB meetings and honors programs.
Read the full candidate profile.
Kayunta Johnson–Winters
Associate professor; Director, Office of Undergraduate Research
University of Texas at Arlington
Statement of interest: I am seeking re-election to the ASBMB Council after completing one term of service because I deeply value this society and the community of outstanding Biochemists and Molecular Biologists it represents. Over the past couple of years, ASBMB has navigated a period of significant change, and I am proud of the thoughtful, steady work the Council has done during this time. That work is not finished, and I would welcome the opportunity to continue contributing to the progress and momentum we have built.
I am pursuing this position because I want to remain an active, engaged voice in service to ASBMB, an organization that I have grown to truly admire and that continues to inspire me as a Biochemist and educator. ASBMB has played an important role in my professional development, and I am committed to giving back through continued leadership and service. I strive to be a thoughtful mentor, a steady presence, and an advocate for decisions that serve the best interests of the society, its members, and its future.
It has been a privilege to serve ASBMB through the Maximizing Access Committee (2017–2023) and the Nominating Committee. As a member of the Nominating Committee, I worked to identify and recruit outstanding leaders from across the scientific community to serve in key roles, helping to strengthen the society and broaden engagement. My goal throughout this work has been to foster a strong sense of professional belonging and excellence within ASBMB. Through my service on the Maximizing Access Committee, and the IMAGE program, I contributed to initiatives aimed at strengthening the scientific enterprise and supporting the development of scientists at all career stages.
At my home institution, I have served in senior leadership roles with broad institutional impact, focused on mentoring, faculty development, and strategic service. I directed multiple federally funded STEM training programs across the undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and junior faculty levels, with responsibility for vision, execution, and long term sustainability. I advised graduate student organizations, chaired a campus-wide faculty and staff network, and served on the President’s Advisory Council, contributing directly to institutional decision-making and policy discussions. These experiences have shaped my approach to leadership as one that is collaborative, mission-driven, and grounded in service. I currently serve as Director of Undergraduate Research, where I oversee a portfolio of university-wide programs and lead cross-college initiatives and partnerships that expand access to research experiences, strengthen faculty engagement, and align undergraduate research with the university’s strategic priorities.
As a continuing member of the ASBMB Council, I seek to advance the society’s strategic priorities through active partnership with the president, executive director, and fellow council members. I am committed to effective governance, clear decision-making, and constructive engagement that will position ASBMB for sustained growth, relevance, and impact. My goal is to help ensure that ASBMB remains a dynamic and respected professional home for scientists today and in the years ahead.
Read the full candidate profile.
John Tansey
Professor and chair, Chemistry Department; Member of the Program in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Otterbein University
Statement of interest: I currently serve as Professor and Chair of the Chemistry Department at Otterbein University. My professional career has focused on advancing excellence in biochemical education, inclusive undergraduate research, and academic leadership, areas that align closely with ASBMB’s mission and strategic priorities.
My service to ASBMB spans more than a decade and reflects a sustained commitment to education, accreditation, and community engagement. I currently serve as Chair of the Programmatic Accreditation Committee, a role I have held since 2020, following my involvement with the committee since its inception in 2013. In 2016, I co-led a task force to redesign the accreditation application and accompanying metrics to reflect lessons learned from early review cycles. This work required thoughtful consideration of the wide range of institutional contexts represented within ASBMB and reinforced the importance of transparency, fairness, and consensus-building in governance.
Beyond accreditation, I have served on the Education and Professional Development Committee and the Science Outreach and Communication Committee, and I have taught The Art of Science Communication course on four occasions. For more than a decade, I have served as a lead judge for the Undergraduate Poster Competition at ASBMB Annual Meetings. As faculty advisor, I have guided my institution’s ASBMB Student Chapter to national recognition as Chapter of the Year four times. I have also contributed to the ASBMB Certification Exam through question development and scoring review, published in JBC, reviewed manuscripts for JLR, attended numerous ASBMB national and education-focused meetings, and am recognized as an ASBMB Fellow.
Candidates for Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee identifies and puts forward candidates qualified for each elected ASBMB volunteer position for election. Per bylaws, members follow a standardized and equitable system to vet all candidates, ensuring fairness, transparency, and consistency in the evaluation process. Learn more about this position here.
Voters select one candidate from two nominees.
Graham Moran
Professor
Loyola University Chicago
Statement of interest: I have been a member of ASBMB for more than twenty years. I see membership of the nominating committee as a means to maintain strengths and influence the future direction of the society. I have been an independent researcher for 25 years, a Department Chair at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and now occupy the Carl Moore Research Chair position at Loyola University Chicago Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
My laboratory studies enzyme mechanism using primarily transient state methods. While, we have studied many systems with relevance to medicine or agriculture, our activities center around fundamental questions and the attempt to understand enzymatic catalysis through the comprehensive understanding of the chemical mechanism sequence.
I have a strong belief in participation and directing energy toward one’s convictions with purpose, openness and optimism. I feel have been fortunate to pursue this career on my own terms and have enjoyed ostensibly every minute of it. As such giving back has always seemed warranted, and I take opportunities to contribute as they arise. I don’t care much for pedigree, the latest hoopla or pretense. I would assert that capable and curious scientists can be found within all echelons of the academy or industry. So as a nominating committee member I would be interested in ASBMB leadership continuing to be representative of the breadth of the society's members.
Read the full candidate profile.
Harini Sampath
Associate professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences; Director, Lipidomics Core NJ Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health
Rutgers University
Statement of interest: I am an Associate Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Scientific Director of the Quantitative Lipidomics Core at the Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health, at Rutgers University. The overarching goal of my research career has been to delineate the role of gene-nutrient interactions in regulation of tissue and organismal health.
Starting from my time as a student member, involvement with ASBMB has been one of my most rewarding professional relationships over the past 23 years. I have participated in many different facets of ASBMB life, including taking pride in publishing in the society journals, regularly attending annual meetings, serving on the editorial board for the Journal of Biological Chemistry, and currently co-organizing the Lipids theme for the 2026 ASBMB Annual Meeting. Through these roles, I have collaborated with colleagues across disciplines and career stages and gained insight into the breadth of expertise, perspectives, and service that strengthen the society. As a mid-career scientist, I am particularly passionate about translating these experiences into helping identify and recognize leaders across varied areas of inquiry and career stages.
Beyond ASBMB, my professional experience includes extensive service in peer review and scientific evaluation through NIH study sections, journal editorial boards, and international scientific committees. These roles have sharpened my ability to assess leadership potential, balance disciplinary representation, and approach selection processes with fairness, transparency, and attention to both excellence and inclusion. I am honored to stand for election to the ASBMB Nominating committee and welcome the opportunity to continue serving the society.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles
Mapping proteins, one side chain at a time
Roland Dunbrack Jr. will receive the ASBMB DeLano Award for Computational Biosciences at the ASBMB Annual Meeting, March 7–10, just outside of Washington, D.C.
Meet the editor-in-chief of ASBMB’s new journal, IBMB
Benjamin Garcia will head ASBMB’s new journal, Insights in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which will launch in early 2026.
Exploring the link between lipids and longevity
Meng Wang will present her work on metabolism and aging at the ASBMB Annual Meeting, March 7-10, just outside of Washington, D.C.
Defining a ‘crucial gatekeeper’ of lipid metabolism
George Carman receives the Herbert Tabor Research Award at the ASBMB Annual Meeting, March 7–10, just outside of Washington, D.C.
Nuñez receives Vallee Scholar Award
He will receive $400,000 to support his research.
Mydy named Purdue assistant professor
Her lab will focus on protein structure and function, enzyme mechanisms and plant natural product biosynthesis, working to characterize and engineer plant natural products for therapeutic and agricultural applications.