Montana State University professor Joan Broderick has been named a fellow of the 2025-26 class at the Hagler Institute for Advanced Study at Texas A&M University. This appointment will allow her to spend time working with faculty and students at Texas A&M over the coming year.
Broderick is among 13 individuals recognized by the institute this year as fellows or distinguished lecturers, an honor reserved for those with significant achievements in their fields. All recipients are members of the National Academy of Sciences or hold similar distinctions. Broderick was elected to both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2022, and became a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2020.
Since joining Montana State’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 2005, Broderick has focused on research into radical SAM enzymes, which play important roles in biological processes involving iron and sulfur. She noted that collaborating with Texas A&M faculty would enhance her research program: “It was really attractive to me as a way to refocus my energy away from administration and back toward research,” she said. “They’ve got a great chemistry department down there, and there are a significant number of people in that department whose research interests intersect with mine.”
At Texas A&M, Broderick plans to collaborate with biochemistry researchers who study iron proteins—an area increasingly relevant to her own work. She also expressed interest in applying advanced biophysical methods used by other faculty members there: “There’s another faculty member who uses advanced biophysical methods to probe iron trafficking in living systems, and that’s something that I think could be an interesting approach to apply to some of our projects.”
Rather than spending one continuous year at College Station, Broderick will divide her time into shorter visits so she can continue managing her lab at Montana State.
The new group of Hagler fellows will be formally inducted during a gala event scheduled for February. Singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett is also part of this year’s class; Broderick commented on possibly meeting him: “I saw him when he was in town last year, so hopefully he’ll be there. It would be fun to meet him in person,” she said.
Alison Harmon, vice president for research and development at Montana State University, praised Broderick’s contributions: “She conducts research that advances our understanding of enzymes, cultivates the development of early career scientists in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and has also served as department head,” Harmon said. “Dr. Broderick is truly an MSU treasure.”