Dr. Hyuk-Joon Jung (Diaconescu Group) received the Chancellor’s Award for Postdoctoral Research at the 2025 UCLA Postdoctoral Scholars & Mentors Awards Ceremony on November 12.
Jung was one of eight postdoctoral scholars who received the Chancellor’s $7,500 Award for Postdoctoral Research in 2025.
As a postdoctoral scholar in Professor Paula Diaconescu’s research group since 2022, Jung applies his interdisciplinary training to advance organometallic catalysis and polymer science. His work centers on designing innovative catalytic systems and polymerization strategies for functional, degradable materials. Guided by his belief that “chemistry can shape a sustainable future with next-generation materials,” he aims to broaden the understanding of organometallic catalysts and drive the development of sustainable polymeric materials.
Jung earned his B.Sc. in Chemistry (2013) and M.Sc. in Inorganic Chemistry (2015) from Sogang University in Seoul, Republic of Korea, where he conducted research on artificial photosynthesis and nanomaterials under the supervision of Professor Nam Hwi Hur.
In 2016, Jung began his doctoral studies in the research group of Professor Parisa Mehrkhodavandi at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His Ph.D. work broadened his research interests to include the design and synthesis of neutral and cationic group 13 metal complexes for polymer synthesis. He completed his Ph.D. in Inorganic Chemistry in 2022.
Professor Diaconescu, Jung’s postdoctoral mentor, said “Dr. Jung has the most critical characteristics of a successful academic: he maintains the highest scientific standards while remaining immensely productive, and he possesses an innate, deep-seated intellectual curiosity that guarantees future breakthrough discoveries.”
Jung’s contributions have been recognized through several awards, including the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Postdoctoral Research Award (2025), the Brian and Jane James Graduate Scholarship in Catalysis (2020), the Gladys Estella Laird Research Fellowship (2020), the Graduate Research Excellence Award (2020), and the Ronald George Cavell Graduate Scholarship in Inorganic Chemistry (2019).
The Chancellor’s Award for Postdoctoral Research was established in 1998 to recognize the important contributions that postdoctoral scholars make to UCLA’s interrelated missions of research, teaching, and public service.
Photos by Rich Schmitt, courtesy of UCLA Division of Graduate Education.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
