Boal Named 2014 Searle Scholar

Amie Boal, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, and of chemistry, recently was named a Searle Scholar. The Searle Scholars Program was established at the Chicago Community Trust in 1980 and is funded from the estates of Mr. and Mrs. John G. and Frances C. Searle. Mr. Searle was the grandson of the founder of the pharmaceutical company G.D. Searle & Company. The program annually recognizes fifteen exceptional young faculty members and supports independent research in medicine, chemistry, and the biological sciences.

Boal and her research group are working to understand how microorganisms acquire and use metal ions. Projects in her laboratory focus on the relationship between structure and function in proteins that sense and transport metal ions and in enzymes requiring metals for catalysis. The goal of her research program is to identify new ways to treat bacterial infections and to improve efficiency in enzymatic reactions important in biotechnology applications.

In 2012, Boal was awarded a National Institutes of Health Pathway to Independence Award (K99/R00) and a National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award.

Before joining the Penn State faculty in 2013, Boal was a postdoctoral scholar in Northwestern University's Department of Molecular Biosciences. She a earned a doctoral degree at the California Institute of Technology in 2008 and a bachelor's degree at Pomona College in 2002.