ANAND, Ganesh

Statement of interest

The ASBMB has been my favorite society throughout my academic career. Unsurprisingly, all of my mentors and role models have participated in leadership roles at the society.

The ASBMB meeting was my first conference as a graduate student when it widened my academic horizons. The society has been subsequently pivotal for my career growth: it has been a forum in my self-learning journey as an academic. It made me realize that scientists at all career stages benefit enormously from mentors.

The most enduring contribution of the ASBMB is to offer an unparalleled interdisciplinary overview of research and education that integrates spatial (molecules to organisms) and timescale (sub second to development over years) perspectives in biology. The ASBMB educates members (young and old alike), and it is an interdisciplinary and inclusive forum for advances in STEM subjects with art.

As a scientist who has benefited enormously from collaborative, interdisciplinary research, and as an academic who has traversed international research environments, encompassing basic and applied research areas, I am passionate about the ASBMB’s commitment to supporting lifelong learning and continuous mentorship for all ages.

I would like to be elected to champion younger scientists — by being a proponent for easing career transitions and helping scientists branch out into newer fields. The ASBMB can play an important role in assisting scientists to move beyond a comfort zone guided by a narrow scientific focus, defined by past training and expertise. I propose to continue the society’s mentoring mission to guide students and established scientists beyond their training focus areas to explore newer collaborative interdisciplinary research that transcends basic/applied research. I recognize that career direction changes might represent added challenges to underrepresented communities and propose to enhance ASBMB’s mentorship in this area. I seek to expand the ASBMB’s vision for increased inclusivity and diversity in fostering more collaborative research.

Education and training

• B. Pharm (honors), Birla Institute of Technology and Science, India (1992)
• M. Sc. (honors), Birla Institute of Technology and Science, India (1992)
• Ph.D., biochemistry, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (2000)

Awards and honors

• Waters Center of Innovation Award in Hydrogen/Deuterium Exchange Mass Spectrometry (2011)
• National University of Singapore Outstanding Scientist Award (2012)
• Vice President, Singapore Society for Mass Spectrometry (2016–2020)

Experience

• Associate professor, The Pennsylvania State University (2020–present)
• Associate professor, National University of Singapore (2006–2020)
• Postdoctoral fellow/research associate, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, San Diego (2000–2006)
• Session chair, Dynamic Nature of Viruses, Biophysical Society Annual Meeting (2022)
• Career Day and outreach head, Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University (2021–present)
• Graduate curriculum committee, Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University (2021–present)
• Director, Singapore National Laboratory for Mass Spectrometry (SingMass) (2019–2020)
• Annual meeting program co-chair, Asia Oceania Mass Spectrometry Conference (2017)
• Session chair, protein–ligand interactions, 66th American Society for Mass Spectrometry and Allied Topics (2018)