Department Chair Professor Neil Garg wins the 2022 Mukaiyama award in recognition of his contributions to synthetic organic chemistry.
The Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan (SSOCJ) award recognizes Garg’s development of synthetic methodologies using unconventional building blocks and innovation in the synthesis of complex molecules. He is the first UCLA faculty member to receive the award.
Garg is the Chair of the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the inaugural holder of the Kenneth N. Trueblood Endowed Chair in Chemistry & Biochemistry. He is known for his innovative teaching techniques, transformative chemical educational initiatives, and his cutting-edge research program, which is directed toward the development of synthetic strategies and methods that enable the synthesis of complex bioactive molecules.
According to the SSOCJ announcement, the award consists of $3,000, a medallion, and a certificate. Garg will deliver an award lecture at the Seminar on Synthetic Organic Chemistry, where the award will be presented.
Professor Naohiko Yoshikai of the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Tohoku University in Japan has also received the 2022 Mukaiyama award in recognition of his development of synthetic methodologies using unconventional building blocks and innovation in the synthesis of complex molecules.
The Mukaiyama award was established in 2005 by SSOCJ to celebrate the 77th birthday of Professor Teruaki Mukaiyama who received the Order of Culture in 1977 from the Japanese government for his outstanding contributions to synthetic organic chemistry and to commemorate his election in 2004 to the National Academy of Science, USA, as a foreign associate.
About the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan
In 2017 the SSOCJ celebrated its 75th anniversary. In those 75 years the SSOCJ has grown to become an interdisciplinary academic organization of approximately 4,800 members that include many talented experts from industry, and encompasses a variety of disciplines including engineering, science, pharmacy, agriculture, biochemistry and medicinal chemistry. The SSOCJ remains committed to solving many challenging problems confronting people worldwide, by advancing innovative technologies in artificial intelligence, biological chemistry, environment and energy.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
