Eisenstein, Edward

Statement of interest

ASBMB is a distinguished, forward-thinking, innovative organization, led by outstanding scientists, educators and a talented professional staff. Accordingly, our programs span the wide-ranging interests of our members, and address not only the most significant issues in the fields of biochemistry and molecular biology, but also contemporary issues of importance to the general public. Our invigorating conferences, top-rated journals, engaging and accredited training programs, effective advocacy programs and creative engagement with public stakeholders, are best in class, and form an awesome foundation for growth and prosperity. I was proud to join a premier society like ASBMB as a graduate student, and the society provided me career-enhancing connections, opportunities and support. At each stage of my career, ASBMB offered me new avenues to get involved within our vibrant network of talented and dedicated scientists, which enabled me to achieve my goals. Fittingly, I believe a key step in building on our impressive accomplishments and strengthening the society is increasing the participation of and enhancing the interaction among all member levels, disciplines and career paths — which must be achieved within a socially just framework that welcomes and encourages all. I will work with our committees and staff to connect members through a variety of electronic and in-person platforms. Because there is tremendous common ground, shared interests and values among our members and committees, I will strive to raise awareness and promote collaboration in order to realize a more interactive and sustainable network that provides increasingly diverse and meaningful paths for bioscience professionals. And I will commit to the ongoing challenges of publishing groundbreaking research while navigating the open access landscape, expanding our advocacy and outreach efforts, welcoming biotechnology industry, and invigorating and expanding our education and training efforts.

Education and training

• B.S., Saint Joseph's University
• Ph.D., Georgetown University
• Postdoc, University of California, Berkeley

Awards and honors

• Faculty Fellow, University Honors, Honors College, University of Maryland (2021)
• Student Competition Advisor of the Year Award, A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland (2015)

Experience

I have broad experience in research and higher education. My independent professional career has been within the University System of Maryland. My initial appointment as an Assistant Professor (1989) was in the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute’s (UMBI) Center for Advanced Research in Biotechnology (CARB), where I rose to Associate Director (1996-2000) and Director (2000-2008). And I enjoyed a summer sabbatical learning rapid reaction kinetics at Penn State University (1998). My research interests are multidisciplinary and seek to provide varied project-based learning opportunities for students. Initially, my laboratory utilized genetic, structural and biophysical approaches to investigate the architectures and mechanisms of interaction among allosteric and regulatory enzymes as well as chaperones. Recently, we are addressing the challenge of engineering plants as robust and healthy bioenergy and bioproduct feedstocks through multidisciplinary, multi-investigator, collaborative research using poplar that focuses on mechanisms of nutrient utilization, abiotic stress and defense against pathogens.

As CARB director I expanded faculty and programs and led two building projects that included laboratories for specialized research in structural biology and biophysics, insect and plant transformation and biomanufacturing, leading to a significant increase in external grants and contracts, which enabled me to develop new training programs. I was appointed President of UMBI (2009-2010) to oversee and direct not only its mission in research, education and economic development, but also to lead the disaggregation of UMBI as a separate institution in order to empower new collaborative research centers among the largest universities in the USM. In this capacity, I continued to increase external awards, boost technology transfer and startups, and enhance our training programs while distributing UMBI’s more than $200M in human and capital resources held in four major centers. Currently I am a fellow in the Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, an Associate Professor in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering, and Associate Director of the Agricultural Biotechnology Center (2020-present) at the University of Maryland.

Because my research is multidisciplinary and I am committed to educational outreach and experiential training, I have been involved in several relevant activities within ASBMB as well as other scientific societies and nonprofits. I have contributed to ASBMB through service on the Public Outreach Committee (2012-2018) and the Membership Committee (2018-2019; as chair, 2019-present). I have contributed to ASBMB journals as a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry (1996-2008), and have organized a host of scientific meetings, with representative examples including a session on molecular interactions at the ASBMB annual meeting (2000), a Gordon Research Conference on Reversible Associations in Structural and Molecular Biology (2004), a Biodesign workshop for the Department of Energy (2011) and a Plant Science Symposium for the American Society of Plant Biologists (2018). I am actively involved in iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machines Foundation) as co-chair of the Engineering Committee (2018-present) and on their Steering Committee (2020-present). As part of my commitment to science outreach and STEM education, I was the founding director and first board president (2008-2010) and board member (2010-2015) of the Rockville Science Center, and serve on the Board of Directors of Learning Undefeated, and educational nonprofit (2009-present).