Boal, Gu, Cotruvo promoted at Penn State
Pennsylvania State University earlier this summer its list of academic promotions that took effect July 1. Three members of the 九游体育 were promoted: Amie Boal, Ying Gu and Joseph Cotruvo Jr.

is now a full professor of chemistry and biochemistry and molecular biology at the Eberly College of Science. Boal is part of the chemistry department's robust metalloenzymology group; her lab focuses on structural and mechanistic characterization of enzymes that use radical intermediates, including a group of enzymes called ribonucleotide reductases involved in DNA biosynthesis.
Boal earned her Ph.D. in chemistry at the California Institute of Technology and completed postdoctoral training at Northwestern University.

is now a full professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Eberly College of Science. Her lab studies cellulose biosynthesis in plant cells, including lines of inquiry into how microtubules guide cellulose deposition and how cellulose synthase complexes, which operate on the extracellular side of the plasma membrane, are delivered to and recycled from those membranes.
Gu earned her Ph.D. in plant genetics at the University of California, Riverside, and completed postdoctoral work at Stanford University.

. is now an associate professor of chemistry at the Eberly College of Science. Cotruvo studies metals in biological systems; his lab investigates how bacteria acquire and use rare earth elements called lanthanides, and develops biochemical-based methods to detect, recover, and separate these metals. His team also develops tools to study how iron and manganese function in infectious and neurodegenerative diseases.
Cotruvo earned his Ph.D. in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.
Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?
Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.
Learn moreGet the latest from ASBMB Today
Enter your email address, and we鈥檒l send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.
Latest in People
People highlights or most popular articles

ASBMB recognizes 2025 outstanding student chapter
The Purdue group, led by Orla Hart, developed STEM outreach initiatives for low-income and minority students in Lafayette, Indiana.

ASBMB inducts 2025 honor society members
Chi Omega Lambda, which recognizes exceptional juniors and seniors pursuing degrees in the molecular life sciences, has 16 new inductees in 2025.

2025 voter guide
Learn about the candidates running for ASBMB President, Secretary, Councilor, Nominating Committee and Publications Committee.

Meet Paul Shapiro
Learn how the JBC associate editor went from milking cows on a dairy farm to analyzing kinases in the lab.

In memoriam: Jeffrey Cameron
He was an associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Colorado Boulder and co-founder of the biotech company Prometheus Materials.

Finding a symphony among complex molecules
MOSAIC scholar Stanna Dorn uses total synthesis to recreate rare bacterial natural products with potential therapeutic applications.