Professor Ellen Sletten is one of four young investigators selected for the 2020 International Chemical Biology Society (ICBS) Young Chemical Biologist Award.
Since 2013, this international award has been given annually to young scientists who have made significant research and service contributions to chemical biology.
Sletten, the first UCLA faculty member to receive the award, is being recognized for her cutting edge technology development of fluorophores for the shortwave infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum that allow for multicolor, real-time imaging in mice, facilitating the translation of optical chemical tools to mammals.
“Ellen is a brilliant chemical biologist,” said Sletten’s nominator Professor Heather Maynard. “Her research accomplishments, dedication to educating the next generation of students about chemical biology through the creation of a chemical biology course and graduate track coupled with her vision in both chemical biology research and education make her really deserving of the ICBS Young Chemical Biologist Award.”
Sletten will receive her award at this week’s ICBS2020 Virtual Conference (November 11-13, 2020) during a special “Rising Stars” session on Friday, November 13, 2020, from 8:40-9:40 am (PT). She will give an award lecture titled “Multicolor, High Resolution, Non-invasive Imaging in Mice”.
Registration for the meeting is free and the meeting also features a talk from UCLA’s Professor Kerianne Backus. Click here to register.
A UCLA faculty member since 2015, Sletten holds the John McTague Career Development Chair in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. She is a 2019 ACS Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Young Investigator, 2018 Sloan Research Fellow, UCLA Hellman Fellow, and NIH Director’s New Innovator. The Sletten Group develops molecules, methods and materials to detect and perform chemistries in vivo, ultimately enabling next generation therapeutics and diagnostics. The ICBS Young Chemical Biologist Award recognizes the Sletten Group’s work on new diagnostics for the shortwave infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum. To learn more about Sletten’s research, visit her group’s website.
The International Chemical Biology Society (ICBS), launched in 2011, is an independent, not for profit organization dedicated to promoting research and educational opportunities at the interface of chemistry and biology. The news was recently featured in UCLA Newsroom.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
