News
10/28/2016
Professor Kim Prather Named One of ‘Top 50 Women in Analytical Science’
Kim Prather has been named one of the “top 50 women in analytical science” by the Analytical Science magazine, which recently published its first ever all-women Power List, featuring “50 talented scientists who brilliantly represent the scope and impact of the analytical sciences.” “As always, we don’t proclaim that our Power List is definitive – influence is subjective,” said Rich Whitworth, editor of the magazine. “But given its future-facing focus, we do hope it’s predictive.” Prather, who holds the Distinguished Chair in Atmospheric Chemistry and is Director of the Center for Aerosol Impacts on Climate and the Environment, is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Nominations for the Analytical Scientist Power List were openly requested and reviewed by an expert judging panel consisting of well-respected scientists and the magazine’s editorial team to produce the final list of 50 women, which can be found online click <a href="https://theanalyticalscientist.com/power-list/2016/"target="_blank">here</a> Since it began publishing in 2013, the magazine has published two top 100 and a top 40 under 40 power list. “Our Power Lists are intended to be a celebration of the whole analytical field – and our top 50 women list is no different in that respect; however, we do think it’s important for The Analytical Scientist to step up and highlight positive role models for young female scientists,” said Whitworth. “We also want to give the analytical community the opportunity to reflect on diversity and equality in general.”
10/27/2016
Rommie Amaro Wins 2016 Corwin Hansch Award
Rommie Amaro, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UC San Diego, has won the 2016 Corwin Hansch Award, given by the Hansch-Fujita Foundation each year to a scholar under the age of 40 for significant contributions to the field of computer-aided drug design. Amaro, who is the director of UC San Diego’s National Biomedical Computation Resource and a co-director of the Drug Design Data Resource, was presented with the award at the 2016 EuroQSAR meeting and the Gordon Research Conferences on Computer-Aided Drug Design in Verona, Italy. The award, established in 2000, is named after the late honorary chair of the QSAR and Chemoinformatics Society and the pioneer of the interdisciplinary science of QSAR, Corwin Hansch. Amaro received both her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and her PhD in chemistry at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She was an assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, computer science and chemistry at UC Irvine for two years before being recruited to the faculty at UC San Diego in 2011.
10/27/2016
Professor Seth Cohen recipient of the 2016 Chancellor's Award for Excellence
Professor Seth Cohen recipient of the 2016 Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Scholar mentoring. The Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Scholar Mentoring recognizes faculty mentors who serve as effective advisors, advocates, role models and colleagues to their postdoctoral trainees, and who promote high standards of professionalism and research integrity. Dr. Cohen will be honored at the Postdoc Appreciation Luncheon and Award Ceremony on November 1, 2016 at Price Center Ballroom.
10/27/2016
Professor Neal Devaraji receives NIH Innovator Award
Neal Devaraj, an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has received $1.9 million from the National Institutes of Health to develop new imaging methods that will help the more than 1 million people in the United States living with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that destroys the insulin-secreting beta cells of the pancreas. Devaraj’s award is part of more than $5 million recently awarded by the NIH to UC San Diego researchers for type 1 diabetes research.
10/27/2016
Professor Elizabeth Villa receives 2016 New Innovator Award
Prof. Elizabeth Villa receives 2016 New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health. She was one of only 48 researchers nationwide this year to receive the prestigious award, which was established in 2007 and is designed to support unusually innovative research from early career investigators who are within 10 years of their final degree or clinical residency and have not yet received a research project grant or equivalent NIH grant. Elizabeth who will use her award for her research project on “Opening Windows into the Cell: Revealing the Molecular Architecture of the Nuclear Periphery.”
10/26/2016
Distinguished Professor Steve Briggs named interim Chair of the department
As the department goes through an organizational renewal, Steve Briggs from Biological Sciences, has agreed to serve as interim Chair to facilitate the change process.
10/07/2016
Distinguished Prof. Barbara Sawrey named one of San Diego’s Most Inspirational Women
Professor Barbara Sawrey has been named one of San Diego’s Most Inspirational Women by San Diego Magazine. Professor Sawrey was named the Academic Champion at an event that “honored dynamic San Diego women committed to creating positive change”.
09/29/2016
PhD candidate, Clifford Kapono, awarded research funds from UC San Diego Global Health Institute
PhD candidate, Clifford Kapono, is one of two students to be awarded research funds from UC San Diego Global Health Institute (GHI). Kapono focuses on unique microbiomes of avid ocean goers worldwide to identify how extended beach time may influence human health. He is collaborating with Professor William Gaze at the University of Exeter School of Medicine, base for the European Centre for Environment and Human Health. The GHI serves as a campus-wide center of gravity for global health activities. This includes providing a central, organized structure for coordinating UC San Diego global health projects, courses, research, and training programs for the local global health community. It is expected that GHI would enable interdisciplinary conversations and collaborations between faculty, students and fellows.
09/06/2016
Professor Andy McCammon has been awarded the 16/17 Hirschfelder Prize in Theoretical Chemistry
Prof. Andy McCammon has been awarded the 16/17 Hirschfelder Prize in Theoretical Chemistry. The Hirschfelder Prize, from the University of Wisconsin, is the highest university-based award in theoretical chemistry; four previous winners have won the Nobel Prize. More information on this distinguished award click <a href="https://www.chem.wisc.edu/content/andrew-mccammon-2016-17-hirschfelder-prize-recipient"target="_blank">here</a>
09/02/2016
Professor Susan Taylor named 2017 Earl and Thressa Stadtman Distinguished Scientist
Professor Susan Taylor has been named the 2017 Earl and Thressa Stadtman Distinguished Scientist by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). The Earl and Thressa Stadtman Distinguished Scientist Award was established by friends and colleagues to preserve their legacies as scientists and mentors. It is awarded to an established scientist for his or her outstanding achievement in basic research in the fields encompassed by the ASBMB.
09/01/2016
Professor Roger Tsien dies at 64
Professor and Nobel Laureate Roger Tsien died Wednesday, August 24, at the age of 64. Roger came to UCSD in 1989, where he was a Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Pharmacology. In 2008, he shared the Nobel with Osamu Shimomura and Martin Chalfie for helping turn green fluorescent protein from a jellyfish into a research tool that could literally illuminate everything from brain cells to bacteria. Tsien was a member of the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of London. Among his other awards: the Gairdner Foundation International Award, the American Chemical Society Award for Creative Invention, the Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics, the Max Delbruck Medal in Molecular Medicine, the Wolf Prize and the Keio Medical Science Prize. A memorial for the campus to celebrate Roger’s work and life will be held at a later date.
08/24/2016
Professor Neal Devaraj receives ACS Award in Pure Chemistry and National Fresenius Award
Professor Neal Devaraj receives the 2017 ACS Award in Pure Chemistry and the 2016 National Fresenius Award. The 2017 ACS Award in Pure Chemistry award is presented annually to recognize and encourage fundamental research in pure chemistry carried out in North America by young men and women. The recipient must have fewer than ten years of experience since his/her terminal degree and must have accomplished research of unusual merit for an individual on the threshold of her or his career. The 2016 National Fresenius Award is presented annually to an outstanding young scientist who has attained national recognition in the areas of research, teaching and/or administration. The award recipient must be under 35 years of age at the date of the nomination. Both of these awards will be presented at the Society’s 253rd ACS National Meeting in San Francisco, CA on Tuesday, April 4, 2017. For a complete listing of all ACS 2017 National Award winners click <a href="http://cen.acs.org/articles/94/i33/ACS-2017-national-award-winners.html"target="_blank">here</a>
08/18/2016
Distinguished Professor Vicki Grassian Named Associate Dean in the Division of Physical Sciences
Prof. Vicki Grassian has accepted the position of Associate Dean in the Division of Physical Sciences. Her extensive research, teaching, and administrative experience make her an exceptional addition to the Dean’s office academic leadership. Professor Grassian will begin her tenure as Associate Dean effective immediately, and will help transition the Divisional leadership to Dean Boggs when he arrives in January. She will serve as an integral part of Divisional administration, and will lead various new initiatives that will be developed over the course of the next year.
08/12/2016
Professor Thiemens Wins Meteoritical Society's 2017 Leonard Medal
The Meteoritical Society announced the selection of Mark Thiemens, distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry and former dean of the Division of Physical Sciences at UC San Diego, as the recipient of the 2017 Leonard Medal. The announcement was made at the Meteoritical Society's recently-concluded annual meeting held in Berlin. The Leonard Medal is one of the highest international awards for discoveries in the origin of the solar system and planets. Thiemens' selection was in recognition of his isotopic studies using new quantum mechanically based isotope effects to investigate the origin of the solar system. The work includes studies of solar evolution, Mars origin and its atmosphere, and the Moon. His work also involved a new technique to quantify the origin and evolution of life and oxygen in the earliest history of earth as well as the ancient atmosphere of Mars. Thiemens is the fourth faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego to win the prestigious Leonard Medal. The previous recipients were founders Harold Urey, Hans Suess, and James Arnold. The Department is unique in that all other winners are from Astrophysical, Geophysical or Earth and Planetary Sciences Departments.
07/28/2016
CAICE Upward Bound Outreach Day, held on July 27th at the UCSD Natural Sciences Auditorium
Fifty-nine UCSD Upward Bound (a federal TRIO program) high school students attended this event. The students were diverse and ranged 9th-12th graders. They are from the San Diego and Imperial County areas. Seven CAICE undergraduate summer interns assisted at this event, as well as 9 UCSD “4C” community college summer interns who attend or just graduated from local community colleges.
07/19/2016
Welcome new Assistant Professor Dr. Roshanak Irannejad
Dr. Roshanak Irannejad joins our biochemistry division in the winter of 2017. She is currently a Postdoc at UC San Francisco. Dr. Irannejad earned her PhD. from Thomas Jefferson University in 2010.
07/19/2016
Professor Nathan Gianneschi named the Teddy Traylor Faculty Scholar in Organic Chemistry
Professor Nathan Gianneschi has been named the Teddy Traylor Faculty Scholar in Organic Chemistry for 2016-2021. Scholar Awards in each of the department’s four divisions were inaugurated in 2006. Each award is to be held for a 5-year term, not immediately renewable. Faculty members who do not currently hold an endowed chair or the title of Distinguished Professor (Professor, Above Scale) are eligible to be awarded a named scholarship.
06/23/2016
Professor Rommie Amaro named the Kurt Shuler Faculty Scholar in Physical Chemistry
Professor Rommie Amaro has been named the Kurt Shuler Faculty Scholar in Physical Chemistry for 2016-2021. Scholar Awards in each of the department’s four divisions were inaugurated in 2006. Each award is to be held for a 5-year term, not immediately renewable. Faculty members who do not currently hold an endowed chair or the title of Distinguished Professor (Professor, Above Scale) are eligible to be awarded a named scholarship.
06/14/2016
Professor Kamil Godula named 2017 Young Investigator by PMSE Division of the ACS
The Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering (PMSE) Division of the American Chemical Society has named Prof. Kamil Godula as one of its 2017 Young Investigators. Prof. Godula is being recognized for his work in the area of polymer chemistry and biomaterials. He will be honored during a special awards symposium at the Spring 2017 ACS National Meeting in San Francisco. Please join me in congratulating Prof. Godula!
06/03/2016
Professor Arnie Rheingold is named a Fellow of the American Crystallographic Association (ACA).
The ACA Fellow’s Program serves to recognize a high level of excellence in scientific research, teaching, and professional duties, but also service, leadership, and personal engagement in the ACA and the broader world of crystallography and science.
05/24/2016
Tehseen Lazzouni receives 2016 Employee of the Year Award
Tehseen Lazzouni, Recharge Analyst in the Business Office, has been selected as a recipient of the 2016 Exemplary Staff Employee of the Year Award. This annual campus award recognizes professional and support staff from across all Vice Chancellor and Health System areas, who have demonstrated exemplary service and made other significant contributions to the UC San Diego and San Diego communities. Congratulations Tehseen!
05/20/2016
Amaro Lab’s Jamie Schiffer and Thiemens Group's Robina Shaheen Win 2016 Research Integrity Awards
Jamie Schiffer, a graduate student in the Chemistry & Biochemistry Doctoral Program and member of The Amaro Lab, and Dr. Robina Shaheen, a Project Scientist in the Thiemens Research Group, were two of eight awardees honored at UC San Diego’s 6th Annual Integrity Awards Ceremony. Ms. Schiffer won the 2016 Research Integrity Student Award, presented to the student whose efforts have contributed most significantly to creating a culture of research integrity on campus. Dr. Shaheen received the 2016 Research Integrity Ally Award, presented to the campus member or organization, whose voluntary activities and service in support of research integrity, go above, and beyond expectations. Congratulations Jamie and Robina!
05/19/2016
Professor Neal Devaraj named a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
Neal Devaraj, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has been named a Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar by the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, one of 13 faculty members nationwide to receive the honor. To view the article on UCSD News click <a href=http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/feature/neal_devaraj_named_camille_dreyfus_teacher_scholar>here</a>
05/19/2016
Dr. Bertrand named 2016 winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Award
Distinguished Professor Guy Bertrand has been named this year’s winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson Award.
05/19/2016
Distinguished Professor Kimberly Prather received the Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award
Kimberly Prather, distinguished chair in atmospheric chemistry at the University of California San Diego, received the Haagen-Smit Clean Air Award from the California Air Resources Board. Considered the “Nobel Prize” in air quality achievement, the Haagen-Smit Clean Air Awards are given annually to individuals who have made significant lifetime contributions toward improving air quality and climate change science, technology and policy, furthering the protection of public health.
04/25/2016
Professor Jeffrey Rinehart Wins 2016 ONR Young Investigator Program Award
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) selected Jeffrey Rinehart, Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UC San Diego, as a recipient of its 2016 Young Investigator Award (YIA). The three-year $510,000 award will support Professor Rinehart's research developing colloidally-synthesized heterostructured nanomaterials to produce smaller, stronger, more efficient computing components. To view the complete list of 2016 Awardees click <a href="http://www.onr.navy.mil/en/Science-Technology/Directorates/office-research-discovery-invention/Sponsored-Research/YIP/2016-young-investigator-YIP.aspx"target="_blank">here</a>
04/24/2016
UC Symposium for Chemical Sciences Poster Prize Recipient - Allie Chen
Congratulations to Allie Chen (Cohen Lab) on receiving the University of California Symposium for Chemical Sciences Dalton Transactions poster prize! The Symposium brought graduate students and postdocs from across the University of California together to network and star up new collaborations.
04/15/2016
Dr. Lindenberg Awarded the Oliver Johnson Award for Distinguished Leadership in the Academic Senate!
It is our pleasure to inform you that Distinguished Professor Katja Lindenberg has been awarded the Oliver Johnson Award for Distinguished Leadership in the Academic Senate.
04/14/2016
Dr. Valerie Schmidt joins our organic division in the summer of 2016. She is currently a Postdoc at Princeton. Dr. Schmidt earned her PhD. from University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2013.
04/14/2016
First SoCal Theoretical Chemistry Symposium
On June 4th, 2016 we will hold the very first Southern California Theoretical Chemistry (SoCal TheoChem) Symposium at the UC San Diego in La Jolla, CA. This one-day event will serve as a testimony of the vitality and high concentration of research groups engaged in theoretical chemistry in the geographical area. The primary goal of this boutique workshop is to provide a focused outlet for researchers to present their work to their colleagues, to network and build professional relationships, and to create a stronger community of researchers of the field in the region. The hope is that this workshop will be repeated in the future in different locations of Southern California.
04/14/2016
Attention Undergrads: Apply for the 2016 Charles L. Perrin Undergrad Summer Fellowship APPLICATION
Attention Undergrads: Apply for the 2016 Charles L. Perrin Undergrad Summer Fellowship APPLICATION DEADLINE: May 1, 2016 AWARD AMOUNT: $1,000 PURPOSE: To support summer research with a Chemistry faculty member. MORE DETAILS: Contact Student Affairs, chemadvising@ucsd.edu
04/14/2016
Dr. Alina Schimpf joins our inorganic division in the summer of 2016. She is currently a Postdoc at MIT. Dr. Schimpf earned her PhD. from the University of Washington in 2014.
03/29/2016
Congratulations to the 2016 Recipients of the NSF-GRFP!
We proudly announce that the National Science Foundation has selected Ember Tota from the Godula Lab and Jesse Peltier from the Bertrand Lab in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as recipients of the 2016 Graduate Research Fellowship!
03/29/2016
Chemistry and Biochemistry Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowship 2016 Recipients Announced!
Congratulations to the 2016 recipients of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Distinguished Graduate Student Fellowship: Doug Agnew (Figueroa Lab), Arvin Akoopie (Muller Lab), Mike Denny (Cohen Lab), Sam Doyle (Tauber Lab), Kara Finzel (Burkart Lab), Tak Koyanagi (Yang Lab), Jessie Peters (Toor Lab), Mark Reineke (Kubiak Lab), Andrew Rudd (Devaraj).
03/09/2016
Rommie Amaro Named Kavli Lecturer for ACS Spring 2016 National Meeting
UC San Diego Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Rommie Amaro, will present the Kavli Foundation Emerging Leader in Chemistry Lecture (Kavli Lecture) at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Spring 2016 National Meeting in San Diego. The Kavli Lecture recognizes the achievements of outstanding young chemical scientists engaged in innovative research, and is the result of a collaboration between ACS and the Kavli Foundation, a philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing science for the benefit of humanity. Dr. Amaro's presentation, "Computing Cures: Enabling Chemical Discovery through the Lens of a Computational Microscope", will take place on Monday, March 14, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. in Ballroom 20 at the San Diego Convention Center. Congratulations Professor Amaro!
02/11/2016
Congratulations to Naomi Handly (Wollman Lab)! 2015-16 Recipient of the Lattimer Award
The Lattimer Award is given to an outstanding graduate student who seeks interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving and has a strong commitment to education. Recipients not only demonstrate promise as a stellar scientist or mathematician, but also impact others through mentorship, service, and educational outreach. One recipient is selected by the Physical Sciences Dean's Office. Congratulations, Naomi!
01/22/2016
Francesco Paesani Wins the ACS 2016 Early Career Award in Theoretical Chemistry
The Physical Chemistry Division (PHYS) of The American Chemical Society (ACS) selected Francesco Paesani, Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego as the 2016 recipient of the Early Career Award (ECA) in Theoretical Chemistry. PHYS annually sponsors the ECA to recognize the most outstanding scientific achievements of its members. Paesani was selected for his development of a rigorous theoretical method for simulating aqueous systems from the gas to the condensed phase, with chemical and spectroscopic accuracy. He will be honored during a special awards symposium at the Fall 2016 ACS National Meeting in Philadelphia. Congratulations Professor Paesani!
01/04/2016
Gianneschi Group Consortiums Awarded $13.3 Million in Research Grants from DOD MURI Program
The Gianneschi Group in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UC San Diego is a key member of two university consortiums awarded research grants totaling $13.3 Million by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Multi-Disciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) Program. The awards include a $7 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) to support research developing 3D-printing technologies at nanoscale levels and a $6.3 Million grant from the Army Research Office (ARO) to support research into materials capable of performing as autonomous sense-and-response systems.