The Division is now accepting nominations for the DBC Undergraduate Award in Biochemistry or Chemical Biology and DBC Young Investigator Award.

The ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL) is excited to announce our newest members to the Executive Committee. We are grateful for each of you who participated in our recent election.

Nominations for the 2026 ACS Infectious Diseases Young Investigator Award are now open! Sponsored by ACS Infectious Diseases and the ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology, these awards recognize three outstanding young investigators in the field of infectious diseases. Nominations are due by December 1, 2025.

Student Travel Awards for Spring ACS 2026 are due by December 15, 2025! The ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology offers travel awards on a competitive basis for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to attend each national meeting and present a poster or oral presentation on their research. Selected awardees will be reimbursed up to $600 for travel and registration expenses.

The Division is very excited to announce that Professor Chaitan Khosla is the recipient of the 2026 Abeles and Jencks Award for the Chemistry of Biological Processes. Administered by the Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL) of the American Chemical Society (ACS), this award was established to acknowledge and encourage outstanding contributions to the understanding of the chemistry of biological processes, with particular emphasis on structure, function, and mechanism.

Division Chair, John Schneekloth Jr., shares BIOL news and updates in an email sent out to members on August 14, 2025. It includes information about our name change, our future vision, and several updates about future meetings.

The Division is very excited to announce that Professor Alexis Komor has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry! Administered by the Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and sponsored by Eli Lilly, this award was established to stimulate fundamental research in biological chemistry by scientists within 10 years of their last postdoctoral training. Komor was selected because of her substantial and significant contributions to the genome editing and nucleic acid chemistry fields. Her lab has expanded the scope, efficiency, precision, and therapeutic relevance of genome editing for point mutations, which are the largest class of disease-associated genetic variants.

Submit a nomination today for the Abeles and Jencks Award for the Chemistry of Biological Processes! Administered by the Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL) of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the purpose of this award is to acknowledge and encourage outstanding contributions to the understanding of the chemistry of biological processes, with particular emphasis on structure, function, and mechanism. Established in 1985 and formerly known as the Repligen Corporation Award, this honor was later endowed in honor of two past recipients: Robert H. Abeles (awarded in 1988) and William P. Jencks (awarded in 1996).

Nominations are now open for the 2026 Bioconjugate Chemistry Early Career Award. Co-sponsored by Bioconjugate Chemistry and the ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL), this honor recognizes a researcher making a significant impact at the interface of synthetic and biological sciences. Bioconjugate Chemistry is a peer reviewed journal published by the American Chemical Society. 

The Editors of ACS Infectious Diseases and the ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 ACS Infectious Diseases Young Investigator Joint Lectureship Awards are Clarissa Melo Czekster, Dmitry Lyumkis, and Aran Singanayagam.

The ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology is happy to announce the recipients of the 2025 DBC Undergraduate Achievement in Biochemistry or Chemical Biology Award. This award is intended to recognize graduating seniors who display a significant aptitude for biochemistry or chemical biology and to encourage further interest in the field.

The Division is very excited to announce that Professor Tom Muir is the recipient of the 2025 Bristol Myers Squibb Award in Enzyme Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Administered by the Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb, this award was established to recognize a prominent scientist whose research accomplishments in biochemistry or chemical biology are unusually significant and far-reaching.

The Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 DBC Young Investigator Award! Established in 2024, the award is intended to recognize early career trainees that are performing mentored research in biochemistry or chemical biology and have accomplished significant innovation and achievement in research as well as contributions to the scientific community or society at large.

The Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL) is seeking submissions for a new logo to reflect the division’s transition into a new era, marked by our recent name change from the Division of Biological Chemistry to the Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology. Whether you are an experienced designer or simply someone with a creative idea, we welcome contributions of all kind—from polished digital designs to rough sketches or thoughtfully described concepts.

The ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology, alongside Biochemistry, would like to congratulate the 2025 winners of the Gordon Hammes Awards! The recipients are: Prof. Karen Allen (Boston University), 2025 Gordon Hammes Lecturer; Dr. Jianjun Cao (Monash University), 2025 Gordon Hammes Scholar

The Division is excited to announce that nominations are now open for the 2026 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry!

Established in 1934, the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry was created to stimulate fundamental research in biological chemistry. Nominees shall have accomplished outstanding research in biological chemistry of unusual merit and independence of thought and originality.

The Division is excited to announce that nominations are now open for the 2025 Bristol Myers Squibb Award in Enzyme Chemistry!

The Bristol Myers Squibb Award in Enzyme Chemistry aims to recognize a prominent scientist whose research accomplishments in biochemistry or chemical biology are unusually significant and far-reaching. We encourage nominations from individuals whose discoveries are, or will be, translational in nature, impacting the biotechnology industry and over the longer term, human health.

ACS Chemical Biology and the ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL) are proud to announce Dr. Jeremy Baskin of Cornell University as the recipient of the 2025 ACS Chemical Biology Young Investigator Award! This award was created to honor the contributions of an individual who has had a major impact on scientific research in the area of Chemical Biology and has published at least one paper in ACS Chemical Biology.

The Division is now accepting nominations for the DBC Undergraduate Award in Biochemistry or Chemical Biology and DBC Young Investigator Award.

The ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology (BIOL) is excited to announce our newest members to the Executive Committee. We are grateful for each of you who participated in our recent election. The newly elected members are Peter Beal, Wenshe Liu, Erika Taylor, Karen Allen, and Regina Stevens-Truss.

Make a nomination for the 2025 Biochemistry Gordon Hammes Awards! Sponsored by Biochemistry and the ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology, the Gordon Hammes Awards collectively celebrate significant achievements in biological chemistry, recognizing both established scientists whose work has profoundly impacted the field and young scholars for their outstanding published research.

Nominations for the 2025 ACS Infectious Diseases Young Investigator Award are now open! Sponsored by ACS Infectious Diseases and the ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology, these awards recognize three outstanding young investigators in the field of infectious diseases. Nominations are due by December 1, 2024.

Professor Donald Hilvert of the ETH in Zurich is the recipient of the 2025 Abeles and Jencks Award, which was established to recognize outstanding contributions to our understanding of the chemistry of biological processes, with particular emphasis on structure, function, and mechanism. Prof. Hilvert’s discoveries have increased our understanding of enzyme mechanisms and catalysis and shown how the insights can be used to design and evolve catalysts to carry out new chemical transformations. His body of work highlights the broad range of experimental approaches that has led to the generation of catalysts that are nearly as efficient as those found in Nature.

The Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology is pleased to announce the winners of our Student Travel Award for the Fall ACS 2024 Meeting! Keep scrolling to read more about our outstanding recipients as they share about their experience at the recent meeting in Denver.

Submit a nomination for the Abeles and Jencks Award for the Chemistry of Biological Processes! The purpose of this award is to acknowledge and encourage outstanding contributions to the understanding of the chemistry of biological processes, with particular emphasis on structure, function, and mechanism.

Nominate an outstanding young investigator conducting chemical biology research for the ACS Chemical Biology Young Investigator Award! This award is a collaboration between ACS Chemical Biology and the ACS Division of Biological Chemistry recognizing an outstanding young investigator conducting chemical biology research.

Student Travel Awards for Fall ACS 2024 are due by May 15, 2024! The ACS Division of Biological Chemistry offers travel awards on a competitive basis for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to attend each national meeting and present a poster or oral presentation on their research. Selected awardees will be reimbursed up to $600 for travel and registration expenses.

Please consider nominating a deserving individual for the Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry! Nominees shall have accomplished outstanding research in biological chemistry of unusual merit and independence of thought and originality.

The Division of Biological Chemistry is happy to announce the recipients of the 2024 DBC Undergraduate Achievement in Biochemistry or Chemical Biology Award. In its inaugural year, this award is intended to recognize graduating seniors who display a significant aptitude for biochemistry or chemical biology and to encourage further interest in the field.

The ACS Division of Biological Chemistry would like to congratulate the 2024 winners of the DBC Young Investigator Award!