On March 21, 2025, the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry posthumously awarded the 2025 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal to Nobel Laureate and UCLA Professor Emeritus Sir Fraser Stoddart, a much-respected and beloved colleague who passed away on December 30, 2024, and held the Seaborg Symposium and Medal Award Dinner in honor of his remarkable life. His daughter, Dr. Fiona McCubbin (pictured above), accepted the award on her father’s behalf at the medal award dinner.
In her acceptance speech, McCubbin said, “My father’s research and his students were always his greatest passion, and his 10 years at UCLA were intrinsic to cementing that priority in his life. He was known for his forthright and unconventional approach to mentoring students and for believing that they were his partners and not his disciples. He really did want to make it possible for young people with amazing talent to express their creativity. And I think we heard a lot of people mention that during the symposium today. Since my father’s death, my family has been so touched by the many letters we’ve received and the wonderful and entertaining memories people have shared about him. He was one of a kind. I know my dad would be truly honored by this award, and I am proud to accept it on his behalf.”
A symposium titled “Artificial Molecular Machines: From Invention to Implementation,” a poster session, and an evening medal award dinner were held in Sir Stoddart’s honor on the UCLA campus.
A photo gallery from the event can be viewed here, and select photos can be viewed below.
After welcoming remarks by Department Chair Professor Alex Spokoyny at the afternoon symposium in the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) auditorium, five prominent scientists gave talks:
Professor Anne-Sophie Duwez (Départment de Chimie, University of Liège) – “Interrogating Synthetic Molecular Machines with Single-Molecular Force Spectroscopy”. (Introduced by Professor Heather Maynard.)
Professor Omar Yaghi (Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley) – “Molecular Weaving: Symphonies of Molecules Inspired by Sir Fraser”. (Introduced by Professor Richard Kaner.)
Professor Nathalie Katsonis (Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen) – “Daring Questions: Exploring the Origins of Life Through the Lens of a Supramolecular Chemist”. (Introduced by Professor Ellen Sletten.)
Professor Ben Feringa (2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Stratingh Institute for Chemistry, University of Groningen) – “From Molecular Switches to Motors”. Feringa shared the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Sir Fraser. (Introduced by Dean of Physical Sciences Professor Miguel Garcia-Garibay.)
Professor Ken Houk (Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles – “Fraser Stoddart, Mechanical Bonds, and the Evolution of Chemistry in our Lifetimes”. (Introduced by Professor Neil Garg.)
Also speaking at the symposium was Dr. Cameron Movassaghi (Ph.D. ’24, Andrews Group, Postdoctoral Scientist, Cedars-Sinai), the 2025 Norma Stoddart Prize Awardee for Academic Excellence in Outstanding Citizenship. He was introduced by his former Ph.D. advisor, Professor Anne Andrews, and gave a talk titled “Of Mind and Muscle: Data-Driven Approaches in Bioanalytical Chemistry.”
The Norma Stoddart Prize for Academic Excellence in Outstanding Citizenship was established in 2004 by Sir Fraser and his friends and family to honor his late wife, Norma. The award is presented to a current or recently graduated UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry graduate student. Selections are made by a committee of graduate students within the department, and recipients are chosen for their outstanding contributions to science, service, and humanity – qualities that Norma embodied at UCLA. Since 2012 and until his passing, Sir Fraser returned to UCLA each year (except during the pandemic) to present the prize at the Norma Stoddart Prize lecture.
The Glenn T. Seaborg Medal was established in 1987 and is given annually by the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry to honor individuals for their significant contributions to the fields of chemistry and biochemistry.
A poster session featuring chemistry and biochemistry postdoctoral scholars, graduate students, and undergraduate students was held as part of the symposium in the CNSI lobby. Three winners were chosen from the poster session by a panel of judges consisting of three of our newest faculty members: Professors Osvaldo Gutierrez, Stefan Petrovic, and Soumitra Athavale. The winners, postdoctoral researcher Dr. Huiling Shao (Houk group), and graduate students Emma Greene (Harran group), and Peter Fernandez and Jonathan Shirley (Damoiseaux and Koehler groups), were announced and honored during the dinner.
Following the symposium, a reception and medal award dinner were held at the UCLA Carnesale Commons – Palisades Ballroom. Attending the day’s events were Seaborg Medalists Professors Ken Houk (2013), Michael Jung (2016), William Gelbart (2017), and Juli Feigon (2023-24).
The highlight of the evening was when Professors Alex Spokoyny and Ken Houk presented the 2025 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal to McCubbin on her father’s behalf.
The following day, over 40 former Stoddart group members gathered for a reunion and symposium.
The department wishes to thank Dr. Fiona McCubbin and her husband, Quentin McCubbin, for attending the Seaborg/Norma Stoddart event on Sir Fraser’s behalf, as well as our generous supporters, whose donations made the Seaborg events possible.
Many thanks to the undergraduate volunteers from the Student Members of the American Chemical Society (SMACS) for their help at the Seaborg events – Ethan Li, Emil Dominguez, Emily Huong, Camile White, Zoe Heidersbach, and Bedelia Law.
Fraser and Norma Stoddart Chair in Contemporary Chemistry at UCLA
Before his passing, Sir Fraser, along with the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and former members of his research group at UCLA, launched a campaign to endow the Fraser and Norma Stoddart Chair in Contemporary Chemistry at UCLA.
The goal is to create an endowed chair to recruit an organic chemist who is doing forward-looking science in Stoddart’s style. The objective is to raise a total of $2 million to endow a full chair. Sir Fraser donated $500,000 to seed the endowment, and UCLA has pledged to match those funds. For any additional donated funds, UCLA will match up to another $500,000. The interest from this endowment will be used by the future chairholder for their research interests, including support for graduate students and postdocs, and for activities to honor the memory of Fraser Stoddart. If you would like to make a gift please visit here.
Photos by Reed Hutchinson and Penny Jennings. Article by Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
