Brian Liau has been awarded the 2025 Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry. The award is presented annually by the American Chemical Society’s Division of Biological Chemistry and recognizes a faculty member for outstanding research in biological chemistry of unusual merit and independence of thought and originality.

Liau, an associate professor of chemistry and chemical biology, has been recognized for his substantial and significant contributions to pioneering innovative approaches that integrate chemical biology with precision genome editing to interrogate protein complex function and mechanisms in cells.

The Liau laboratory has developed groundbreaking methods combining CRISPR-based genome editing with chemical biology approaches to systematically study the mechanisms of chromatin complexes and small molecule interactions at unprecedented resolution. Using this interdisciplinary approach, the Liau lab has made significant discoveries elucidating novel regulatory mechanisms of key epigenetic factors like LSD1, PRC2, and DNMT3A. Their work has revealed unexpected functions of intrinsically disordered protein regions, uncovered new principles of molecular glue degraders, and provided insights into drug resistance mechanisms. These advances have important implications for our understanding of gene regulation, protein function, and targeted therapeutics. Liau has published significant papers in leading journals, mentored several excellent trainees, and been honored by other prestigious awards (NIH Director's New Innovator Award, Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovation Award, Sloan Research Fellowship).

The Eli Lilly Award in Biological Chemistry will be recognized at a special symposium during the Spring 2025 American Chemical Society National Meeting.