Kiessling to lead new chemical biology initiative

The world’s largest scientific society, the American Chemical Society, has named Laura L. Kiessling editor in chief of ACS Chemical Biology, a new publication scheduled to launch in 2006. Kiessling is professor of chemistry and biochemistry and MacArthur Foundation Fellow at UW–Madison.

ACS Chemical Biology represents a major new initiative to highlight the molecular sciences in biology and provide a molecular understanding of life. This monthly publication will provide a central forum for research at the interface of chemistry and biology, emphasizing the use of rigorous chemical and biological approaches to solve problems in living systems.

Kiessling is recognized as a leading voice and pioneer in the field of chemical biology. Her principal research interests include biomolecular recognition, protein-carbohydrate interactions, and signal transduction mechanisms. Kiessling also serves as director of both the National Institutes of Health Chemistry-Biology Training Program and the Keck Center for Chemical Genomics.

The journal “will be a central, high-profile forum for the growing audience of scientists now working at the interface” of biology and chemistry, says Kiessling. “I want to use this initiative to help foster communication between chemists and biologists while at the same time conveying the significance of their research to a broad readership,” she adds. “ACS Chemical Biology represents an important advance for this field.”

Kiessling received her bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, her Ph.D. from Yale University, and completed her postdoctoral work at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. She is a Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and is a Fellow at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The American Chemical Society is a non-profit organization, chartered by the U.S. Congress, with a multidisciplinary membership of more than 158,000 chemists and chemical engineers. It publishes numerous scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.