Alumni & Giving

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Giving to the Department

The UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry is committed to advancing the knowledge of chemistry and biochemistry through research and teaching. Please consider the various giving opportunities listed below or contact chair@chem.ucla.edu. Any gift to our department, no matter how small, can help to support the many aspects of our educational mission.

(If your employer offers a matching gifts program, please consider asking to have your donation matched.)

Funding Opportunities

Thanks to the generous support of our alumni and friends, 25-40 of UCLA’s talented Chemistry & Biochemistry undergraduate students receive a $4,000 fellowship to conduct research in faculty labs during the summer. These life-changing fellowships are made possible thanks to the support of our alumni and friends, and many more deserving students will benefit as this program grows. To contribute to the program or establish a new named fellowship, please contact Brooke Sanders, Executive Director of Development, UCLA Physical Sciences, 310-794-9045, bsanders@support.ucla.edu. Your gift of any size will directly impact one of our world-class students and aspiring scientists!

This fund honors Professors Daniel E. Atkinson & Charles A. West and is used to support undergraduate and graduate prizes and fellowships in Metabolic Biochemistry. To donate or read more about Professors Atkinson and West, click the corresponding button below.

This fund honors the late Dr. Dafni Amirsakis and provides fellowship support to graduate students within the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. To donate or read more about Dr. Amirsakis and the impact she had, click the corresponding button below.

This fund honors the late Nobel Laureate and UCLA professor Paul Boyer and provides summer undergraduate research fellowships to UCLA undergraduate biochemistry majors who will perform research in the laboratories of UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry faculty.

On the occasion of Professor Neil Garg’s Robert Foster Cherry Award Finalist Lecture at UCLA, an Educational Innovation Fund was established to enable UCLA Chemistry and Biochemistry faculty and students to launch transformative educational initiatives that will have a lasting impact on undergraduate education at UCLA.

Contributing to our Graduate Student Recruitment & Support Fund is an investment in the future of our department. Outstanding graduate students are at the heart of nearly every aspect of our teaching and research missions. The best way to attract top-notch graduate students is to invite our best applicants to UCLA, giving them first-hand exposure to the cutting-edge research and academic excellence that is the hallmark of our department. Donations made to this fund help us conduct our annual recruitment visit to bring in the very best students, and also helps provide funding support to ensure their success and well-being at UCLA.

The department is also dedicating resources to inspire others to give by extending its Matching Gift Program aimed at significantly changing the future of UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry students through endowed support. Qualifying gifts to the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry endowments may be matched at 100%. For example, a $500,000 gift will become $1,000,000!

James “Jimmy” E. LuValle graduated from our Chemistry & Biochemistry Department in 1936 and led an extraordinary life. From being an Olympic medalist, to establishing the UCLA Graduate Student Association, to achieving greatness in the chemistry field for decades, Jimmy was the embodiment of the True Bruin spirit.

As we continue to celebrate the astounding success of underrepresented students, the department established the James E. LuValle Fund for Excellence in Chemistry & Biochemistry which will support students like Jimmy, who we believe will guide our department, the scientific community, and the world to great heights. Click the links below learn more about LuValle and to donate to this fund.

This fund was established to honor the memory of Professor Verne N. Schumaker and to support undergraduate and graduate student research fellowships within the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. To donate or read more about Prof. Schumaker, click the corresponding button below.

This fund was established to honor the memory of Professor Emeritus Roberts (Bob) Smith and his commitment to research, education, and pharmaceutical advancement, and to recognize our outstanding biochemistry students each year. To donate or read more about Prof. Smith, click the corresponding button below.

As one of the country’s top chemistry and biochemistry departments, we provide innovative education and conduct cutting-edge research, with a strong emphasis on laboratory experimentation. Access to modern, functional equipment is crucial for developing our students and researchers into skilled professionals. Hands-on experience with instrumentation enhances their academic and professional growth while supporting groundbreaking research efforts. We rely on your support to provide our students with access to great instrumentation to aid their education at UCLA.

Endowed chairs are a critical resource for our department. These positions attract and retain top-quality faculty for our students to learn from and work alongside on scientific research that addresses the world’s greatest needs and humanity’s drive for exploration. To find out how you can contribute to an endowed chair, please contact Brooke Sanders, Executive Director of Development, UCLA Physical Sciences, 310-794-9045, bsanders@support.ucla.edu. Click below to see a list of the department’s current endowed chairs.

List of Endowed Chairs

The Department Discretionary Fund (also known as the Chemistry Advisory Council Fund) provides support to the areas of greatest need, as determined by the Department Chair in consultation with the faculty. These areas include undergraduate research fellowships, graduate student fellowships, much-needed instrumentation for research, modernizing research and teaching laboratories, and providing students with travel stipends to attend and present their findings at conferences.

In 2016, the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry established the Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar position to honor Professor Boyer’s contributions to science, UCLA, and the world. Each year, we review applications from around the globe and select one recent Ph.D. graduate as the Paul D. Boyer Teacher-Scholar. Our Boyer Teacher-Scholars conduct cutting-edge postdoctoral research under a faculty member and also teach undergrads who are passionate about chemistry and biochemistry. Donations to this fund will support the research of the Boyer Teacher-Scholar and will also allow opportunities for scientific travel (e.g. conferences).

We are very excited that the Centennial Collaboratory space, which opened in 2022, will foster collaboration, creativity, and inclusion for the thousands of students who are taking Chemistry & Biochemistry classes each year. The donor wall in the space is equally collaborative—with each donation on a molecule, the wall is a visual representation of the many Bruins and friends who come together to make the department strong.

This is a special opportunity to take your place among your friends and classmates on a highly visible donor wall in the Centennial Collaboratory. Gifts of $10,000, $25,000, and $50,000 will be unveiled on molecules at the space for all future generations of Bruins to see.

If you would like to learn more or to arrange to see the space in person, please contact: Brooke Sanders, Executive Director of Development, UCLA Physical Sciences, 310-794-9045, bsanders@support.ucla.edu.

Gifts to this fund support the department’s four divisional seminar series: Biochemistry & Molecular and Structural Biology (BMSB), Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry. These series consist of weekly lectures by world-renowned scientists from around the nation and the world. The seminar series give our graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty the opportunity to learn, network, and exchange ideas with our invited speakers and are crucial to the continued academic and research excellence of the department. Funding all or part of an individual lecture is also an option.

UCLA graduate students are hoping to raise $100K to endow an annual UCLA lectureship series to celebrate Black chemists and biochemists. The goal of the annual lectureship is to invite one of the world’s top Black scientists to UCLA each year to give a special lecture. The lecture series would be open to the public, celebrating and learning about the incredible work being done by Black scientists. To donate or read more about the cause, please click on the buttons below.

Honoring Professor Emeritus Richard Dickerson, a giant in structural biology, this fund provides resources for an enriched biochemistry seminar series at UCLA. To donate or read more about Dickerson, please click on the buttons below.

Each year, UCLA hosts roughly 25 outside speakers for our Houk/Jung Organic Colloquium. The Houk/Jung Colloquium provides our graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with the opportunity to learn science from and interact with distinguished academic and industrial researchers. Your support would help ensure this tradition continues into the future. In addition to supporting the general Houk/Jung Organic Colloquium Fund, donations can be made to sponsor specific organic chemistry named lectures in honor of prominent UCLA faculty and alumni. To learn more about the named lectures click here.

List of Named Lectures

Each year, UCLA hosts roughly 25 outside speakers for our Physical Chemistry Seminars. This provides our graduate students and postdoctorals the opportunity to interact with distinguished academic and industrial researchers. UCLA has vibrant training programs in all aspects of physical chemistry and our seminars greatly enrich the experience. Your support would help ensure this tradition continues into the future.

This annual event, named in honor of UCLA alumnus and winner of the 1951 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Glenn T. Seaborg, was established in 1987 by the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry to honor exceptional contributions to our field. Since then, nine Nobel Laureates have received the Seaborg medal. Please contact the Chair’s Office, chair@chem.ucla.edu, 310-825-3958, for information about how to support the event.

Seaborg Symposium Website

The Jeffrey I. Zink Inorganic Chemistry Seminar Series at UCLA has been named with a generous gift by Helo Zink and Distinguished Professor Jeffrey Zink.

The newly endowed seminar series supports inorganic chemistry-themed lectures throughout the year and will support an annual Zink Lectureship.

The Department Discretionary Fund

The Department Discretionary Fund, also known as the Chemistry Advisory Council Fund, provides support to the areas of greatest need (as determined by the Department Chair and in consultation with the faculty). These areas include undergraduate research fellowships, graduate student fellowships, much needed instrumentation for research, modernizing research and teaching laboratories, and providing students with travel stipends to attend and present their findings at conferences.

Donate to Department Discretionary Fund

UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry Matching Program

The Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry is dedicating resources to inspire others to give by extending its Matching Gift Program aimed at significantly changing the future of UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry through endowed support. Qualifying gifts to the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry endowments may be matched at 100%. For example, a $500,000 gift will become $1,000,000!

Click here to learn more

Alumni Legacy Award

The UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Alumni Legacy Awards honors alumni who have received a graduate-level degree from UCLA, in recognition of their achievements in life, and generous support and service to the university.

2024: Arlene Russell and Catherine Clarke

2023: Karen & William Timberlake

2020: Ralph Bauer

2019: Shyr-Jin “Jim” Tsay

2018: Audree Fowler, Atsuko Fujimoto, Margaret Holzer, and Kate Murashige

Donors List (Gifts since 2020)

Charles and Carolyn Knobler
Charles William Clifford Jr. Revocable Trust
Cram Family Trust
Dean M. Willard
Dongwon Yoo and Youngsoon So
Dorothy and Raymond Wilson
Estate of Lorraine and Masuo Toji
Fraser Stoddart
Fred and Linda Wudl
Jack and Leslie Kavanaugh
Jeffrey and Helo Zink
Judith Smith
Lawrence Ellison
M & L Hong Foundation
Mani Bhaumik
Michael and Alice Jung
Michael and Hannelore Gresser
Shirley and Walter Wang
Shyr-Jin and Barbara Tsay
Silicon Valley Community Foundation

Akira and Atsuko Fujimoto
Bruce and Shari Weiller
Carolyn Schumaker
David and Nancy Remy
David Steinberg
Estate of Geraldine and Robert Biskowski
Eugenia Pan
Fran Zone
John Roberts
June Kim
Kendall Houk and Fang Liu
Mae Carter
Marilyn and Edwin Follick
Mary Friedman
Ralph and Charlene Bauer
Randy Schekman and Sabeeha Merchant
Ravi Bikkina
Richard Cross and Kathryn Davis
Robert and Carole Foran
Satyanarayana and Vimala Majeti
Susan Baumgarten
Todd Blumenkopf
William and Karen Timberlake
William Zhao

Agi Hirshberg
Allen Roberts
Amgen Inc.
Anne Roberts and John Arnold
Arthur Riggs
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Group
Bruce and Joy Morimoto
Donald and Barbara Roberts
Donna Speckman
Emil and Hanna Reisler
John Arnold and Anne Roberts
Juli Feigon
Margaret Kivelson
Max Kade Foundation Inc.
Merck & Company Inc.
Northrop Grumman Corporation
Ralph and Shirley Shapiro
Robin Garrell
Sep Sarshar
Suzanne Stein
The Good Food Institute

3M Company
Alexander Kusenko and Lada Kirich
Ann Sodja
Anonymous
Baylor University
Boehringer Ingelheim
Dana Gordon
David and Lucy Eisenberg
Donald and Linda Miller
Donna Cross
Fay Cannon
Frank and Clelia Mallory
George and Barbara Whitesides
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Harry and Kay Inami
Ivan Trifunovich and Ida Sinkevic
Janis L. Dote and Mark Nagumo
Jeff Schwartzmann
Ka Kit Hui
Lewis Manring and Marianne Marsi
Lillian Lessler
Margaret Holzer
Michael Sekera
Organic Syntheses, Inc.
S.T. Li Foundation
Sheldon and Suzanne Lewis
Shell Oil Company
Steven and Catherine Clarke
Steven Miller
Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation

Alumni Resources