Boal, Gu, Cotruvo promoted at Penn State
Pennsylvania State University announced earlier this summer its list of academic promotions that took effect July 1. Three members of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology were promoted: Amie Boal, Ying Gu and Joseph Cotruvo Jr.

Amie Boal is now a full professor of chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology at the Eberly College of Science. Boal is part of the chemistry department's robust metalloenzymology group; her lab focuses on structural and mechanistic characterization of enzymes that use radical intermediates, including a group of enzymes called ribonucleotide reductases involved in DNA biosynthesis.
Boal earned her Ph.D. in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology and completed postdoctoral training at Northwestern University.

Ying Gu is now a full professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Eberly College of Science. Her lab studies cellulose biosynthesis in plant cells, including lines of inquiry into how microtubules guide cellulose deposition and how cellulose synthase complexes, which operate on the extracellular side of the plasma membrane, are delivered to and recycled from those membranes.
Gu earned her Ph.D. in plant genetics at the University of California, Riverside, and completed postdoctoral work at Stanford University.

Joseph Cotruvo Jr. is now an associate professor of chemistry at the Eberly College of Science. Cotruvo studies metals in biological systems; his lab investigates how bacteria acquire and use rare earth elements called lanthanides, and develops biochemical-based methods to detect, recover, and separate these metals. His team also develops tools to study how iron and manganese function in infectious and neurodegenerative diseases.
Cotruvo earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.
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

Meet Lan Huang
Molecular & Cellular Proteomics associate editor uses crosslinking mass spec to study protein–protein interactions to find novel therapeutics.

Meet Shannon Reilly
The JLR junior associate editor discusses the role of adipocytes in obesity at Weill Cornell Medical School.

Meet Donita Brady
Donita Brady is an associate professor of cancer biology and an associate editor of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, who studies metalloallostery in cancer.

Glyco get-together exploring health and disease
Meet the co-chairs of the 2025 ASBMB meeting on O-GlcNAcylation to be held July 10–13, 2025, in Durham, North Carolina. Learn about the latest in the field and meet families affected by diseases associated with this pathway.

ASBMB recognizes 2025 outstanding student chapter
The Purdue group, led by Orla Hart, developed STEM outreach initiatives for low-income and minority students in Lafayette, Indiana.

ASBMB inducts 2025 honor society members
Chi Omega Lambda, which recognizes exceptional juniors and seniors pursuing degrees in the molecular life sciences, has 16 new inductees in 2025.