Department Chair Professor Alexander Spokoyny is one of 18 U.S. academic researchers chosen for the US Defense Science Study Group (DSSG) class of 2027-28.
The two-year program introduces outstanding scientists and engineers to the challenges facing national security and encourages them to apply their expertise to address these issues.
A UCLA faculty member since 2014, Spokoyny’s research bridges inorganic chemistry, chemical biology, nanoscience, and materials science. His laboratory develops new synthetic methods and molecular architectures based on boron-rich clusters and organometallic compounds, with applications ranging from energy storage and OLED lighting materials to biomolecular labeling and drug development. A major focus of the Spokoyny group is creating “organomimetic” molecules – three-dimensional inorganic structures that can serve as alternatives to traditional flat organic molecules – in order to design materials with unique electronic, optical, and biological properties. His interdisciplinary work has also explored molecular systems for virus inhibition, bioconjugation chemistry, and non-addictive therapeutics for cancer pain, while advancing fundamental understanding of nanoscale molecular assembly and reactivity.
The DSSG is a program that introduces outstanding science and engineering professors to the United States’ security challenges and encourages them to apply their talents to these issues. The program, begun in 1986, is directed by the non-profit Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) and is sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Each group of scholars meets for approximately 20 days each of the two years to focus on defense policy, related research and development, and the systems, missions, and operations of the armed forces and the intelligence community.
Former DSSG members from the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry include Professors Neil Garg, Paul Weiss, Richard Kaner, and Heather Maynard.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
