Khalimonchuk named to prestigious national society

Oleh Khalimonchuk, Willa Cather Professor of biochemistry at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, has been named a 2025 fellow of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology — one of just 24 scientists nationwide to receive the prestigious recognition.

Fellows are selected based on exceptional service to the organization, professional accomplishments and contributions to the scientific community.

“We are honored to have these colleagues to represent (the organization),” said Chi Fung Lee, chair of the society’s membership committee fellows task force and assistant professor of cardiovascular biology research at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. “We look forward to their continued contribution as role models and mentors to inspire members.”

Khalimonchuk’s lab studies how mitochondria work and what goes wrong with them in the occurrence of disease and aging. To do this, he and colleagues conduct experiments using yeast, roundworms and human-like cells.

Khalimonchuk is director of the Nebraska Redox Biology Center, a UNL lab where staff conduct research in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 

His research program focuses on fundamental mitochondrial biology processes and advancing the understanding of multiple mitochondrial functions in health, cellular stress and degenerative diseases, and has received multiple awards. He has held academic leadership roles in Nebraska and internationally. 

Khalimonchuk received Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv in Lviv, Ukraine, and a doctorate from the Dresden University of Technology and Max Planck Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics, both in Dresden, Germany. He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

In 2016, Khalimonchuk received a junior faculty for excellence in research award from UNL. He is a member of the ASBMB Meetings Committee and in 2022 was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. 

“I am truly honored to be named an ASBMB fellow,” he said. “It is humbling and inspiring to be featured among this illustrious group of researchers. As they say, ‘It takes a village’ — a big thank-you to the members of my research team, present and past, and all the collaborators, mentors and colleagues who have contributed to this recognition.”

This is the fifth year that the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has named fellows. The society will recognize the 2025 class at its annual meeting, April 12-15 in Chicago.