(Boston)–Catherine Costello, PhD, the William Fairfield Warren Distinguished Professor at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), has received the 2019 Lifetime Achievement in Proteomics Award from the U.S. Human Proteome Organization (U.S. HUPO). This inaugural award recognizes a career of discovery that has made a lasting impact in the field of proteomics, the field which explores the distribution, dynamics and modifications of proteins in cells and living organisms and their relationships to health and disease.
Following the presentation, the award was renamed the Catherine E. Costello, PhD, Award for Lifetime Achievement in Proteomics. It is the first time an award has been named after a woman scientist in the field of proteomics. “You are such an extraordinary representative in the field and continue to be a remarkable inspiration for women in science, and we are grateful for everything that you have done to push the boundaries of proteomics research,” said Ileana M. Cristea, PhD, professor of molecular biology at Princeton University and president of U.S. HUPO.
Costello joined BUSM in 1994. That year, she established the Center for Biomedical Mass Spectrometry, which has become an internationally recognized research center. She holds her primary appointment in the biochemistry department, with secondary appointments in the departments of physiology & biophysics and chemistry.
Her research, which focuses on determining the structures and functions of biologically important polymers, has revolutionized an important area of biochemistry by providing insights into the structures of molecules responsible for human disease. She is the author or co-author of more than 375 scientific papers, serves on a number of editorial boards of major journals, and has received numerous awards and honors, including the 2009 Thomson Medal from the International Mass Spectrometry Foundation (IMSF), the 2010 Field and Franklin Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the 2017 Award for Distinguished Contribution to Mass Spectrometry from the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS), the three highest honors in her field. She is a Fellow of the ACS and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
She has served as president of ASMS (2002-2004), International HUPO (2011-2012) and the IMSF (2014-2018).
U.S. HUPO engages in scientific and educational activities to encourage the use of proteomics technologies and to disseminate knowledge pertaining to the human proteome and that of model organisms.
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