Talk Title: Integrative Multi-Omics Profiling of Traumatic Brain Injury: From Glycan Isomers to Functional Networks
Prof. Yehia Mechref is the Robert A. Welch Endowed Chair in Chemistry, Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor, Executive Director of the Life Sciences Innovation Institute, and Director of both the Human Molecular Aging Center and the Center for Biotechnology and Genomics at Texas Tech University. He received his B.Sc. in Chemistry from the American University of Beirut and his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry with an Honorable Mention from Oklahoma State University, followed by postdoctoral training at Indiana University.Dr. Mechref is an internationally recognized leader in bioanalytical mass spectrometry, pioneering sensitive and high-throughput methods for glycomics and glycoproteomics, particularly in the isomeric characterization of glycans and glycopeptides. His work has significantly advanced our understanding of protein glycosylation in cancer, neurodegeneration, and metabolic disorders. His research has been continuously funded by the NIH, CPRIT, and other agencies, with over $15 million in support. He has published more than 250 peer-reviewed research papers, 46 review articles, and 26 book chapters. His Google Scholar h-index is 76, with over 16,900 citations. He is the founding Editor-in-Chief of BioChem, Associate Editor for Frontiers in Oncology, and a former standing member of the NIH EBIT study section. He currently chairs the Steering Committee of the NCI Alliance of Glycobiologists for Cancer Research. Among his numerous honors are the 2024 Texas Tech Global Vision Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2019 President’s Academic Achievement Award, the 2019 Nancy J. Bell Faculty Excellence in Mentoring Award, the 2016 Barnie Rushing Jr. Faculty Distinguished Research Award, and the 2015 Barnie Rushing Jr. Faculty Outstanding Research Award.