CYERT, Martha

Statement of interest

I am a biochemist carrying out fundamental studies of the Ca²⁺/calmodulin activated protein phosphatase, calcineurin, during which I have defined conserved mechanisms of substrate recognition and used these principles to systematically discover calcineurin signaling networks in yeast and humans. As an active educator and mentor, I am passionate about providing innovative research experiences for undergraduates, especially first-generation and low-income students.

I have been an ASBMB member since 2004 and am proud to have been chosen as an ASBMB fellow in 2024 in recognition of my service to the society, where I have served on the Public Affairs Advisory Committee (2015–2021), as a co-organizer for the annual meeting (2022) and now as a member of the Meetings Committee.

I support the research training and community-building goals of the ASBMB and am passionate about building inclusive communities in STEM and advocating for continued support of investigator-initiated studies that examine fundamental processes in the biomedical sciences.

This is a critical time for science and scientists, and I am dedicated to maintaining and strengthening the vibrant ASBMB community by engaging the next generation of scientists. Priorities for the society include growing and expanding our membership, increasing attendance at the annual meeting and supporting open science through policies that promote open-access publishing and global cooperation and collaboration.

Education and training

• B.A., Biochemistry, Harvard University, 1980
• Ph.D., Genetics, University California, San Francisco, 1988
• Postdoctoral training, Biochemistry, University California, Berkeley, 1988–1992

Awards and honors

• Scholar, Lucille P. Markey Charitable Trust, 1991–1997
• Young Investigator Award, National Sciences Foundation, 1993–1998
• Procter and Gamble Young Investigator, 1994–1998
• Thomas W. & Susan B. Ford University Fellow in Undergraduate Education, 2011
• Dr. Nancy Chang endowed professorship, Stanford University, 2018
• Outstanding Leader Award, Stanford Faculty Women’s Forum, 2022
• Fellow, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2024

Experience

• Organizing committee, Internal Symposium Calcium-Binding Proteins, 2002–present
• Director, NIH-funded Graduate Training Program in Cell and Molecular Biology, 2009–2019
• Senior associate vice Provost for undergraduate education, Stanford University, 2010–2013
• Instructor, Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens Workshop, Ghana, Africa, 2010–2016
• TWD-A study section, National Institutes of Health, 2011–2016
• ASBMB Public Affairs Advisory Committee, 2015–2021
• Organizer, FASEB Protein Phosphatase Conference, 2018
• Advisory committee member, FASEB Science Research Conferences, 2021
• Chair, Department of Biology, Stanford University, 2020–present
• Co-organizer, Discover BMB, 2022
• Member, ASBMB Meetings Committee, 2022