Former undergraduate researcher Gregory Gorobets ‘23 (Spokoyny group) was awarded the 2023 Chancellor’s Service Award in recognition of his significant contributions in service to UCLA and the community.
The Chancellor’s Service award is given annually to honor graduating students who made significant contributions to UCLA.
Before graduating, Gorobets was a member of Professor Alexander Spokoyny’s group, where his research focused on synthesizing and characterizing boron clusters for energy applications. His efforts earned him a summer undergraduate laboratory internship from the Department of Energy (DOE), allowing him to spend a summer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. During this internship, Gorobets played a crucial role in developing a membrane solvent extraction technique for separating and recovering critical materials from end-of-life lithium-ion batteries.
Beyond his research endeavors, Gorobets was deeply involved in teaching and mentorship roles at UCLA. As a learning assistant for Chemistry 20A and 20B, he sought to incorporate effective pedagogical strategies and focus on fostering discussions. Furthermore, as the tutoring chair and president of Alpha Chi Sigma (AXS), Gorobets organized free tutoring sessions for the UCLA chemistry community.
Gorobets was involved with the Student Members of the American Chemical Society (SMACS) as the professional development chair. In this capacity, he played a pivotal role in promoting undergraduate research and facilitating connections between students and professors. Notably, Gorobets spearheaded initiatives to enhance resource accessibility by rebuilding the SMACS website, ensuring that students have easy access to academic and professional support.
Gorobets is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Chicago under the mentorship of Professor Anna Wuttig. Excited by the opportunity to delve into inorganic and electrochemistry, he aims to explore interfacial self-assembly on electrode materials to advance catalysis and contribute to cutting-edge research in the field.
In addition to research, Gorobets remains committed to serving his community and inspiring the next generation of scientists. Already, he works with Argonne National Laboratory to volunteer at local high schools and middle schools to foster scientific curiosity and innovation.
After earning his Ph.D., he dreams of becoming a professor, where he can mentor students and delve into exciting scientific discoveries.
