The Protein Society

What The Protein Society does

The Protein Society (TPS) is a not-for-profit scholarly society founded in 1985 and headquartered administratively in the United States. Its stated mission is to advance state-of-the-art science through international forums that promote communication, cooperation, and collaboration among scientists involved in the study of proteins. The Society serves an international community of protein researchers spanning academia, industry, government, and non-profits in more than 50 nations, including chemists, biologists, physicists, and mathematicians working on protein structure, function, design, synthesis, and utilization.

Its core offerings are anchored by the Protein Science journal (established 1990, published by Wiley, with a 2023 Impact Factor of 5.2 under Editor-in-Chief John Kuriyan); a flagship 3.5- to 4-day Annual Symposium that brings together 550-650 attendees with 12 scientific sessions, 8 named award lectures, 100+ talks, poster competitions, and an exhibitor hall (PS40 scheduled for Boston, July 19-22, 2026); a recurring free webinar series (6+ per year); and a portfolio of eight named scientific awards plus Travel Awards, Member Mini Grants (up to $500), and a Fellows program. Operational infrastructure includes the www.proteinsociety.org website, a MemberClicks membership portal, social channels on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn, and a monthly "Under the Microscope" newsletter.

TPS is funded through member dues (student $15 / other $30), Annual Symposium registration and exhibitor fees ($2,200 per booth), journal publication charges ($750 non-member / $500 member), and tax-deductible donations directed to named awards. Governance rests with an elected Executive Council (President Heather Pinkett; President-Past Liz Meiering; Secretary/Treasurer Vicki Wysocki; Secretary/Treasurer-Elect Carla Mattos) and is operated day-to-day by a small staff (2-3 named employees) led by CEO Raluca Cadar. The organization holds no venture, private equity, or public ownership, and is not a candidate for traditional M&A or equity investment.

Name

The Protein Society

Legal name

The Protein Society

Website

https://proteinsociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Protein Society is a 40-year-old not-for-profit scholarly society that advances protein science research worldwide. It operates Protein Science journal (Wiley), an Annual Symposium, free webinars, and a portfolio of named awards, serving academic, industry, government, and non-profit researchers in over 50 nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Scholarly Society

NAICS

Professional Organizations (813920), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Scholarly society
• Protein science research
• Scientific journal publishing
• Academic conference services
• Professional membership

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The Society relies on membership dues as a core revenue stream. Members receive complimentary online access to Protein Science, discounts on publication fees, reduced registration fees for the Annual Symposium, priority registration for webinars, and access to the member directory and voting rights.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a not-for-profit, TPS receives charitable donations supporting the Annual Symposium Travel Grants and named awards. Donations are tax-deductible in the U.S. Donors can direct contributions to specific awards (Carl Brändén, Christian B. Anfinsen, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin, Martin Karplus, Emil Thomas Kaiser, Hans Neurath, Marie Maynard Daly, Stein & Moore) or general TPS use.
3. Journal Publication Fees: Publication charges are assessed for all manuscripts: $750 for non-members and $500 for members for full articles, reviews, and communications; $550/$300 for research notes. These are separate from open-access fees.
4. Annual Symposium Revenue: Revenue from registration fees (member and non-member rates), abstract submission fees, exhibitor booth fees ($2,200 per booth), and sponsorship packages. Registration fees provide members discounts of up to 50%.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Protein Society is a not-for-profit scholarly society that advances protein science through membership subscriptions, the Protein Science journal (published by Wiley), the Annual Symposium, free TPS Webinars, eight named scientific awards, Travel Awards, Member Mini Grants, a Fellows recognition program, and the Under the Microscope monthly newsletter. These offerings serve an international community of academic, industry, government, and non-profit protein scientists across more than 50 nations.

Product overview

The Protein Society is a not-for-profit scholarly society that provides a platform for protein science research and professional development. Its core offerings include the Protein Science Journal (published by Wiley, Impact Factor 5.2), the Annual Symposium (a major international conference), TPS Webinars (free educational series), eight prestigious awards recognizing excellence in protein research, Travel Awards supporting young scientists, the Fellows Program for member recognition, Member Mini Grants funding local events, and the Under the Microscope newsletter. These products and services work together to advance the society's mission of promoting communication, cooperation, and collaboration among scientists studying proteins.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TPS Membership Individual and institutional subscription offering providing complimentary online access to Protein Science, $250 discount on publication fees, up to 50% discount on Annual Symposium registration, priority registration for webinars, access to Member Mini Grants and travel awards, member directory access, voting rights, and eligibility to stand for leadership positions. Members represent an international community across academia, industry, government, and non-profits in more than 50 nations.
• Protein Science Journal The flagship journal of The Protein Society, published by Wiley, covering all scientific aspects of proteins including structure, function, design, synthesis, and applications. Subject matter encompasses protein research in molecular and cell biology, genetics, proteomics, evolution, and more. Impact Factor 5.2 (2023 Journal Citation Reports). Publication fees: $750 non-members/$500 members for full articles; $550 non-members/$300 members for research notes.
• Annual Symposium The Protein Society's flagship annual conference bringing together international protein science researchers. Features parallel scientific sessions, workshops, poster presentations, award ceremonies, and networking opportunities across 3.5-4 days. The 40th Anniversary Symposium (PS40) is scheduled for July 19-22, 2026 in Boston, MA with 12 scientific sessions, 8 award speakers, and 100+ invited and contributed talks.
• TPS Webinar Series Free webinar series (6+ per year) featuring leading experts on frontier topics in protein science, open to all with priority registration for members. Covers cutting-edge science, education, career development, and community engagement topics.
• Protein Society Awards Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Protein Science journal Impact Factor: 5.2 (2023 Journal Citation Reports)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WileycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWiley is the publisher of Protein Science journal, the official journal of The Protein Society. Wiley sponsors the Protein Science Young Investigator Award and the Stein & Moore Award. Members receive complimentary online access to Protein Science through Wiley.
• Westin Seaport BostoncoreOthersThe headquarters hotel for the PS40 40th Anniversary Symposium (July 19-22, 2026). TPS has a room block at $285/night (regular) and $262/night (student, sold out). Attendees receive 10% discount at hotel F&B outlets.
• AI ProteinsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAI Proteins is a Gold sponsor of PS40. The company also hosted an industry visit during the symposium. Chris Bahl of AI Proteins was featured in the January 2026 newsletter as a CEO interview subject.
• CortevaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorteva is a Silver sponsor of PS40 and focuses on Proteins in Agriculture as a topic area in the scientific program.
• Cube BiotechminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCube Biotech sponsored PS40 and exhibited at the symposium.
• Diversify Protein ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA third-party initiative supported by TPS to promote diversity in the protein science field. TPS encourages members to learn about racial disparity in STEM and take action to end racism in science. TPS links to the Diversify Protein Science resource.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO): EMBO supports leading researchers in the molecular life sciences across Europe and beyond, with comparable programs (fellowships, courses, publications, EMBO Journal). Overlaps with TPS in the molecular protein science community, particularly among European members.
• American Chemical Society (ACS) - Biological Chemistry Division: ACS is a massive chemistry professional society whose Biological Chemistry Division serves many of the same protein chemists and structural biologists as TPS. ACS offers a broader portfolio of journals (including Biochemistry), but competes for the same protein chemistry community.
• Royal Society of Chemistry: RSC is a major UK-headquartered chemistry professional body with journals covering chemical biology and protein science. Comparable in publishing-plus-membership model, but with substantially larger scale and broader chemistry scope.
• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB): FASEB is an umbrella federation of 22 life sciences societies — TPS is not a member but FASEB provides comparable advocacy, publications, and conference services to the broader biomedical research community, competing for institutional attention and funding.

Regional players

• Protein Science Society of Japan: The Japanese national scholarly society for protein science, which TPS has previously co-hosted symposia with (planned Sapporo meeting cancelled in 2020). Serves the same protein science research community but primarily in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.
• Asia-Pacific Protein Association: A regional protein science association covering the Asia-Pacific region, comparable in mission to TPS but serving a different geographic base. Has previously partnered with TPS on joint symposia (e.g., the cancelled 2020 Sapporo meeting).

Direct peers

• Biophysical Society: The Biophysical Society serves researchers studying protein structure, function, and dynamics using biophysical methods — directly overlapping with TPS's core audience. It operates its own journal (Biophysical Journal), Annual Meeting, and awards, making it a close functional peer for protein scientists.
• International Union of Crystallography (IUCr): IUCr serves the global crystallography community, which includes a major subset of TPS members focused on protein structure determination. Comparable scholarly society model with congress, journals (Acta Crystallographica), and awards.
• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB): ASBMB is the largest US scholarly society serving biochemists and molecular biologists, with overlapping membership in academic protein research, its own journal portfolio (JBC, MCP), annual meeting, and awards program — directly comparable as a life sciences scholarly society competing for the same academic member base.
• American Peptide Society: A scholarly society focused on peptide science, an adjacent sub-discipline of protein science. Comparable size and structure: small staff, annual symposium, awards program, and member base drawn from academic and industry researchers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ProteinSociety
• Facebookfacebook.com/193694716867
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-protein-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Protein Society