2019 Glycobiology Significant Achievement Award Winner

The Glycobiology Significant Achievement Award is given annually by Oxford University Press (publisher of Glycobiology) to honor a new or mid-career scientist that has made a key discovery during their early careers with the potential to have a substantial impact on the glycoscience community.

This year, Oxford is delighted to present the Glycobiology Significant Achievement Award to Dr. Jochen Zimmer, who was recently appointed as a Full Professor in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics at the University of Virginia School of Medicine. The award will be given to Dr. Zimmer at the Society for Glycobiology Annual meeting this November in Phoenix, Arizona.

Dr. Zimmer has made several significant discoveries during his time at UVA. His work has focused on complex carbohydrates and systems that make up the cell walls of both bacterial and eukaryotic cells. Due to the widespread importance and utility of these systems, Dr. Zimmer’s pursuit has led him to bridge the gap between all forms of life through their glycobiology. Employing techniques including X-ray crystallography and electron microscopy, he has studied the translocation and surface expression of polysaccharides important for capsule and biofilm formation in bacteria, cell wall biosynthesis in plants, as well as extracellular matrix formation in vertebrates. In particular, there are two structures of great impact - groundbreaking firsts – the cellulose synthase and the O-antigen ABC transporter, which have been significant achievements in Dr. Zimmer’s career. In addition to being widely applicable, the influence of Dr. Zimmer’s work is exemplified through his many high impact publications and awards. In his career, he has published dozens of publications including five in Nature, one in Science, one in Nature Communications and three in PNAS, just to name a few. Dr. Zimmer continues to work on cell surface complex carbohydrates, with the goal to delineate the mechanisms by which they are synthesized, secreted, and embedded into an extracellular matrix. Oxford is proud to honor him with this year’s Glycobiology Significant Achievement Award.