After breakthrough findings on molecular cell biology, Dr. Benjamin Tu of UT Southwestern Medical Center has been named a finalist for a prestigious young scientists award.

Tu, an associate professor of biochemistry, is the only finalist from the Dallas area in the 2017 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists. 

He is known for his extensive work on the links between fundamental cellular processes and metabolism. In a recent study,Tu and his team of researchers found that chromatin methylation is likely as important to metabolism as it is to gene expression.

“Being in the Department of Biochemistry and at UT Southwestern has enabled me to take my research in directions I never anticipated from the start,” Tu said in a release.

Tu earned his PhD in biochemistry and biophysics from the University of California, San Francisco, and has been with UT Southwestern since 2007. 

In 2007, the Blavatnik Family Foundation created the awards program to recognize the superior work of early-career scientists and engineers in the U.S.

The awards are sorted into three categories: life sciences, physical sciences and engineering, and chemistry.  

Tu has been named one of 10 finalists in the life sciences category.

One winner from each category will be named a Blavatnik Laureate later this month and receive $250,000. Winners will be honored during a ceremony this fall in New York City. 

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