Ribosome expert Kamena Kostova transitions to Staff Scientist role at Carnegie

Pasadena, CA—Cellular and molecular biologist Kamena Kostova has accepted a position as a Staff Scientist at Carnegie’s recently launched Biosphere Sciences and Engineering Division.

For the past five years, Kostova has been a Staff Associate at Carnegie’s developmental biology research facility in Baltimore. This program was designed to provide exceptional early career researchers with a launchpad for developing bold, creative research programs, skipping the traditional postdoctoral experience to run their own labs over a term-limited period, gaining unparalleled experience to prepare them for faculty jobs.

Carnegie’s Staff Associate positions were developed by groundbreaking molecular biologist Don Brown in the 1980s. This initiative inspired other institutions around the country to establish similar positions and the NIH to create the Director’s Early Independence Award, of which Kostova was a 2019 recipient.

Kostova specializes in studying ribosomes—the cellular machinery responsible for translating genetic material into protein. The ribosome is one of the most complex and long-lived molecular machines in the cell, and the presence of functional ribosomes is essential to life.

Her lab uses cutting-edge technology, such as CRISPR-mediated genome editing, to understand how cells maintain ribosomal integrity and to investigate what happens when a cell’s ribosomes break down. Ribosome damage has recently been linked to human diseases including cancer and neurodegeneration. Her work has implications not only for human health, but also for origins of life research, an area where Carnegie scientists excel across disciplines.

“Kamena has been an exemplary member of Carnegie’s biology community since 2018 and her work connects to so many of our cutting-edge research initiatives,” said BSE Deputy Director Stephanie Hampton. “We are thrilled that Carnegie will remain her home institution as she transitions into the next phase of what is sure to be an illustrious career.”