Meet the 2026 Awardee: Tatiana Zyrianova, PhD
Tatiana Zyrianova, PhD is an Assistant Researcher in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California Los Angeles, a position recognized as junior faculty level. She is a cell signaling biologist whose research focuses on molecular mechanisms driving inflammation in pulmonary diseases, with an emphasis on translational strategies for acute respiratory infections. Dr. Zyrianova trained at leading international institutions, including St. Petersburg State University, the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, and The Scripps Research Institute, where her work advanced the understanding of inflammatory signaling.
Dr. Zyrianova has demonstrated strong scholarly productivity, with 18 peer-reviewed publications, including 7 in pulmonary research, and 38 conference abstracts. Her work has been widely disseminated through oral and poster presentations at ATS, including her recent metabolomics study. She has received 19 academic awards, including funding and recognition. Supported by the Department of Defense Discovery and the American Heart Association Career Development Awards, she established an independent research program on BK channel-driven anti-inflammatory strategies targeting calcium-dependent signaling in pulmonary endothelial and immune cells. She has developed a highly translational computational drug discovery pipeline to predict therapeutic targets and off-target effects, supporting precision medicine approaches in inflammatory lung disease. A dedicated mentor, she has contributed to mentoring, training, and supervision of 31 junior researchers, including 20 at UCLA, with her mentees earning 10 research excellence awards. She is also actively engaged in national service through ATS leadership and grant review for the American Heart Association.
Dr. Zyrianova has been an active member of the ATS RCMB Assembly since 2019, contributing broadly to its scientific and early-career initiatives. She has served on the RCMB Early Career Professional Working Group for over six years, chaired the REAAch Award Review Committee, and contributed to both the Communications and Grant Writing Subcommittees, where she co-organized the “Grant Writer’s Toolkit” webinar series to support early-career investigators. In addition, she has served as a reviewer for the ATS Program Committee and as a mentor in the ATS mentorship program.
Description
The RCMB has established the Carol B. Basbaum Award in recognition of outstanding scientific achievement, mentorship, and leadership potential to a junior investigator in the field of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology.
This award was created in memory of Dr. Carol B. Basbaum, a brilliant scientist who had an international reputation in the area of airway biology and inflammation who passed away in 2005, in the prime of her career. She made seminal findings in airway pathobiology and was considered the preeminent scientist in the field. She was the first to describe the plasticity of airway epithelial cells and describe the role of several new molecules in the lung. This award also celebrates the leadership and mentoring role that Carol displayed throughout her career and her selfless contributions to her trainees and colleagues.
The award will be presented at the annual RCMB Membership Meeting during the ATS International Conference.
Criteria
- The nominee must be:
- a senior Fellow or Assistant Professor (or equivalent)
- a member of the RCMB assembly. Priority will be given to primary RCMB members
- able to attend the ATS International Conference
- The nominee cannot receive any other Travel Grant or Award within the ATS that includes Travel to the Conference.
Guidelines for Submitting a Nomination
- Send the nominee’s current NIH-style Biosketch
- Send one support letter with signatures of 3-5 supporters who attest to the impact of the nominee on the RCMB mission.
Letter of recommendation should address each of the following criteria
- Scientific Achievement
- Mentoring
- Leadership potential
- Involvement with ATS and RCMB Assembly
Scoring metric weight
- 3x - Scientific Contributions/Products
- 1x - Teaching/Mentoring/Educational Contributions
- 1x - Participation in Assembly and ATS Activities (administrative, committees, workshops etc.)
- 1x - Overall impact/impression of dossier submitted for award application
Nomination for the RCMB Carol Basbaum Award will also mean automatic entry into the Science Innovation Center’s Rising Stars of Research Program. The two runners up to the Award (who have research in the area of basic/translational science) will be chosen for this program. Previous awardees are not eligible for the same award.
The two candidates will showcase their research by giving a 15-minute talk in one of two sessions featuring “Rising Stars”. Winners of the Rising Stars of Research Program from, AII, PI-TB, RCMB, and RSF will present their work at the Science and Innovation Center during the ATS International Conference this May. Certificates will also be awarded during the session.