Luca Fornelli, an assistant professor of biology and chemistry in the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, is one of three recipients of this year’s prestigious American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Award.
“Selection for this prestigious award recognizes Dr. Fornelli as one of the most talented and promising young investigators in the field of mass spectrometry,” said Richard E. Broughton, chair of the OU Department of Biology. “It is based primarily on his success in developing methods and adapting instrumentation for top-down proteomics. It also reflects his ongoing development as a top investigator in this field that holds great potential for advances in human health. We are delighted for him as a recipient of this honor.”
Fornelli will receive the $35,000 award at the next ASMS annual conference, to be held Oct. 21-Nov. 4 in Philadelphia. The association presents the awards to promote the research of academic scientists within the first four years of joining the tenure track or research faculty of a North American university. The other two 2021 recipients serve on the faculties of Yale University and Texas A&M University.
During the 2019 ASMS conference (the last held in-person due to the pandemic), Fornelli was invited to a lunch for “emerging talents in mass spectrometry.” More recently, he was selected to contribute an article, just accepted, to a special issue of the Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry dedicated to “emerging Investigators,” which is published every two years (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jasms.1c00062).
Fornelli’s research focuses on the study of the proteins present in an organism, or proteomics, using high-resolution mass spectrometry. He specializes in the “top-down” approach that is aimed at characterizing intact protein forms, or proteoforms. He earned his bachelor and master of science degrees from the University of Padova, Italy, and his doctorate from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland.
About ASMS
The American Society for Mass was formed in 1969 to promote and disseminate knowledge of mass spectrometry and allied topics. Membership includes over 8,500 scientists involved in research and development. Members come from academic, industrial and governmental laboratories. Their interests include advancement of techniques and instrumentation in mass spectrometry, as well as fundamental research in chemistry, geology, forensics, biological sciences and physics.
