Congratulations to Professor Keriann Backus on her promotion to associate professor with tenure, effective July 1, 2024.

A prominent chemical biologist known for her groundbreaking work in chemoproteomics and chemical probe development, Backus’ research seeks to advance our understanding of protein function and guide discovery of therapeutic targets with innovative mass spectrometry techniques and multi-omic approaches. Her lab has made important contributions to covalent probe discovery, cysteine chemoproteomic technology development, and redox biology, which together inform and offer potential breakthroughs for treating human disease.

Backus received bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and Latin American studies from Brown University in 2007. She conducted undergraduate research in inorganic chemistry in the laboratory of Professor Amit Basu at Brown and also conducted research in the laboratory of Professor Tarun Kapoor at Rockefeller University.  

As a 2007 Rhodes Scholar and an NIH Oxford Cambridge Scholar, she earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry jointly in the laboratories of Professor Benjamin Davis (Oxford) and Dr. Clifton Barry (National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases). In 2012, Backus completed her doctorate and began an NIH postdoctoral fellowship at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in the laboratory of Professor Benjamin Cravatt. 

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.  

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, and DARPA Young Faculty Award.  

In early 2024, Backus and her collaborators from the University of Washington were awarded a $1.3 million W.M. Keck Foundation grant to fund research into single-cell protein measurement innovation.  

In addition to her research accomplishments, Backus is highly regarded for her dedication to teaching and mentorship. She has developed and taught several undergraduate and graduate courses, inspiring the next generation of scientists with her passion for chemical biology.  In recognition of her dedication as an effective research mentor to undergraduate students, Backus received the 2023 Undergraduate Research Week Faculty Mentor Award.

Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.