Dr. James Galligan Receives Young Investigator Award

James “Jim” Galligan, PhD, assistant professor in the University of Arizona R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, received the Chemical Research in Toxicology Young Investigator Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Chemical Toxicology.

“It means a lot to be able to join the group of incredible scientists who have previously won this award,” Dr. Galligan said.

James “Jim” Galligan, PhDAccording to the American Chemical Society’s website, the Division of Chemical Toxicology was founded in 1996 as a forum for the presentation and discussion of research and opportunities in chemical toxicology under the support and auspices of the ACS. The Young Investigator Award is presented annually to an investigator who has received their doctorate within the last 15 years and has made a significant impact in the field of chemical toxicology.

Dr. Galligan was nominated for this award by pharmacology and toxicology department head Xinxin Ding, PhD, and his postdoc advisor Larry Marnett, PhD, dean of basic sciences at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “Jim is conducting cutting edge research in the field of toxicology,” Dr. Ding said. “He has been very successful as an assistant professor in our department, already securing prestigious NIH funding, publishing high impact papers and graduating well-trained students. As a brilliant, dedicated and highly accomplished young faculty member, he is a great role model for postdocs and students in this field.”

“We have the goal of identifying critical proteins involved in metabolism and how we may be able to leverage this information for the treatment of diseases, most notably diabetes and cancer,” said Dr. Galligan about his research. “We use a variety of cell culture and in vivo models to study sugar metabolism and the changes in protein function resulting from aberrant post-translational modifications.”

Dr. Galligan will receive his award in person at the ACS fall meeting in Chicago, where he will also lead a session as part of the Division of Chemical Toxicology program.