MSU’s Orlando and Hamberger invested as James K. Billman Jr., M.D. Endowed Professors
Michigan State University biochemists Ben Orlando and Bjoern Hamberger were honored as the J.K. Billman, JR., M.D. Endowed Research Professor and James K. Billman Jr., M.D. Endowed Professor, respectively, during an investiture ceremony held Oct. 12 at MSU’s Wharton Center.
The celebration was attended by MSU alumnus Dr. James Billman, Jr., who established the two professorships to support exceptional researchers in the College of Natural Science’s (NatSci) Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB). Across a lifelong career in pathology and laboratory medicine, Dr. Billman has also endowed 22 undergraduate scholarships at MSU and was lead donor to the university’s Music Pavilion project, a long-needed addition, and improvements to the 80-year-old MSU Music Building.
“The commitment and dedication of donors such as Dr. Billman enrich the lives of faculty and students at Michigan State and guarantees that they’ll have the critical resources needed to lead the world in education and research in the 21st century and beyond,” said Phil Duxbury, NatSci dean. “Such positions provide the long-term stability needed for serious and significant scientific advancement, freeing endowed faculty and their research programs from shortened time horizons and financial constraints. These professorships are awarded to only the most outstanding faculty across our university.”
Orlando, an assistant professor in BMB, focuses on utilizing cryo-electron microscopy to examine the structure, dynamics, and function of membrane protein complexes. His laboratory is currently studying membrane transport complexes that allow bacteria to evade our most powerful antibiotics, and human transporters involved in pharmaceutical uptake and efflux. By leveraging the power of cryo-EM, his lab seeks to visualize the structure and dynamics of these critical membrane protein machines in near-atomic detail. Orlando received his B.Sc. in human biology at Michigan State University and his Ph.D. in structural biology from the Hauptman-Woodward Institute at SUNY Buffalo in New York. Prior to joining MSU, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School.
“It’s a true honor to receive the J.K. Billman, JR., M.D. Endowed Research Professorship,” Orlando said. “To be nominated by colleagues who put their trust in my work and see a trajectory of future progress and success—it’s a real validation of what we’ve been doing these past few years.
“This investiture provides an opportunity for our lab to expand into new and exciting research areas, welcome additional talented scientists to our team, and pursue advanced equipment that would have otherwise been unobtainable,” Orlando added.
“These professorships enable junior and mid-career faculty members to accelerate their research projects and provide the necessary flexibility to test highly innovative, high-risk research questions,” said Olorunseun ‘Seun’ Ogunwobi, BMB chair. “These positions are critical to attracting and retaining the best and brightest research faculty to MSU, and BMB is both fortunate and grateful to have these prestigious positions to offer Bjoern and Ben.”
Bjoern Hamberger, an associate professor in BMB, is a leading expert on plant-derived bioactive diterpenoids—specialized metabolites with exciting antimicrobial, antifungal, analgesic, and psychoactive properties. His work seeks to discover the means for biosustainable production of diterpenoids in host plant species, with an emphasis on pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. He is also a co-investigator in bioenergy crop design and bioenergy crop productivity and microbiome for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. Hamberger received his Ph.D. in biochemistry of plant-specialized metabolism from the Max-Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research. Prior to joining MSU in 2016, he was an associate professor and group leader of diterpenoid research at the University of Copenhagen and the Novo Nordisk Center for Biosustainability.
“I’m proud beyond imagining to receive the support of a Dr. James K. Billman Jr., M.D. Endowed Professorship,” Hamberger said. “With this recognition comes a boost of energy and the opportunity to pursue research aspects that otherwise were not possible.
“Through the Billman endowment,” Hamberger added, “we’ve already managed to generate major breakthroughs concerning the mint family genome, and even host a first-ever symposium for indigenous connections held at MSU with a focus on medicinal plants.”
Hamberger and Orlando follow in the footsteps of two inaugural BMB faculty named Billman Endowed Professors—Professor Amy Ralston, who conducts pioneering research to investigate how genes regulate stem cell behavior in the context of the mammalian embryo; and Professor Kristin Parent, who uses electron cryo-microscopy and 3-D image reconstruction methods to better understand virus infection and assembly.
“Endowed positions such as these professorships are an investment in MSU that shows the world our commitment, our focus, and our leadership in academic and research excellence. Given their permanence, they assure excellence by making certain that quality teaching, research, and outreach can be conducted in perpetuity,” said Doug Gage, vice president for the Office of Research and Innovation at MSU. “When others look at Michigan State, they see a sustained commitment to making a real difference in the lives of our students, faculty and staff so that they can make important, life-changing discoveries. We’re looking forward to great things from Ben and Bjoern.”
Banner Image: (L to R): Doug Gage, vice president of the Office of Research and Innovation; Seun Ogunwobi, BMB chair; James K. Billman, donor; Bjoern Hamberger, J.K. Billman, JR., M.D. Endowed Research Professor; Ben Orlando, James K. Billman Jr., M.D. Endowed Professor; and Phil Duxbury, NatSci dean, during the Oct. 12 investiture ceremony held at MSU’s Wharton Center. Photo Credit: Harley J. Seeley.
