Description
Thressa “Terry” Stadtman, Ph.D., (1920 – 2016) was a trailblazing biochemist and former chief of the section on intermediary metabolism and bioenergetics in NHLBI’s Laboratory of Biochemistry. She pioneered the study of anaerobic electron transport, vitamin B12 metabolism, and selenium biochemistry. Most notably, she discovered selenocysteine—recognized as the 21st essential amino acid—which plays an important role in cellular processes and human health.
Born February 12, 1920, in Sterling, New York, Stadtman followed a path into the sciences that few women had walked before and became a champion and supporter of women in the sciences. She attended Cornell University where she received her B.S. in microbiology in 1940 and her M.S. in bacteriology and nutrition in 1942. Stadtman earned her Ph.D. in 1949 at the University of California, Berkeley, where she investigated methane fermentation in anaerobic bacteria.
Stadtman arrived at NIH in 1950, where she spent most of her long and productive research career. At NIH, her research included studies on the cholesterol oxidase enzyme and further studies advancing the understanding methane metabolism. Along with fellow NIH biochemist Dr. Earl Stadtman, Ph.D., (1919 – 2008), who was also her husband, she helped mentor more than 100 scientists at NIH. She retired from NIH in 2009 after almost 60 years.
“Terry Stadtman was one of the founding members of our research community,” said Dr. Robert Balaban, director of NHLBI’s Division of Intramural Research. “She was a force of nature that helped form what we are today.”
Stadtman’s accomplishments were recognized in the broader scientific community. She was elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences in 1981 and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1982. Among her many awards were the William C. Rose Award of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) in 1986; the Klaus Schwarz Medal from the International Association of Bioinorganic Scientists in 1988; and the inaugural L’Oreal Lifetime Achievement Award for Women in Science from L’Oreal-UNESCO in 2000. The methane-producing organism Methanospaera stadtmaniae is named in her honor.
Learn more about Thressa “Terry” Stadtman, Ph.D.:
National Academy of Sciences Biographical Memoirs
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