Professor Keriann Backus is among 17 trailblazing female scientists featured in the special “Women in Proteomics” issue of the journal Molecular and Cellular Proteomics (MCP).
Released on February 12, 2026, the special issue celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
The issue highlights the leadership and achievements of women in proteomics, celebrating their scientific excellence, innovation, and transformative impact on the field. It showcases state-of-the-art advances in proteomic technologies—from single-cell platforms and enrichment strategies to proteogenomics and next-generation methods for protein extraction, labeling, and molecular annotation. Featuring powerful multiomics and data-driven approaches, the issue reveals new insights into disease mechanisms, uncovers diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities, and advances standards for proteome research.
Backus joined the UCLA faculty in 2018 as an Assistant Professor of Biological Chemistry in the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, with a joint appointment in the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. In 2020, she was appointed to UCLA’s Alexander and Renee Kolin Endowed Professorship of Molecular Biology and Biophysics. She was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in July 2024.
Backus’ innovative research has earned her numerous awards and recognitions, including the Packard Fellowship, NIH New Innovator Award, Beckman Young Investigator Award, Ono Pharma Foundation Breakthrough Science Initiative Award, DARPA Young Faculty Award, and the International Chemical Biology Society (ICBS) Young Chemical Biologist Award.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
