Maya Peters Kostman Receives 2026 I. Alden Macchi Award

Maya Peters Kostman, MCBB PhD candidate of the of the Larkin Lab, was selected as the winner of the 2026 I. Alden Macchi Award for excellence in the field of regulatory biology.

Maya studies the role of membrane potential in bacteria coping with nutrient stress. Aerobic microbes produce most of their energy via the electron transport chain, which uses oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor to establish an electrochemical gradient across the cell membrane. Electrical membrane potential accounts for the majority of the energy in this gradient, closely coupling oxygen, membrane potential, and cellular metabolism. Maya’s research focuses on understanding how these processes interact to help the cell survive in changing and heterogeneous environments.

This award was established by the late I. Alden Macchi, Professor and former Interim Chairman in the Department of Biology. Dr. Macchi received his PhD in Endocrinology from BU in 1954. Professor Macchi’s research contributed, among other things, many important observations regarding the mechanisms of steroid hormone biosynthesis in the adrenal glands.

Congratulations, Maya!