Professor Kalli Kappel was presented with the 2026 UCLA Alpha Chi Sigma (AXΣ) Glenn T. Seaborg Award at the annual AXΣ Seaborg Banquet on May 8.
The event, held at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, was attended by members and alumni of Alpha Chi Sigma, UCLA chemistry and biochemistry faculty members, and their guests. At the banquet, Kappel gave a brief presentation about her past, ongoing, and future research directions.
“I am so honored and grateful to receive this award from our undergraduates,” said Kappel. “It was such a wonderful opportunity to get to share our work with everyone. Thanks to Alpha Chi Sigma for a fantastic evening!”
The event was organized by AXΣ members Parker Powers and Ilinca Flacau. “Parker and I were honored to have the opportunity to organize the Glenn T. Seaborg Banquet,” Flacau said. “The Seaborg Banquet is the biggest and longest standing event that our organization puts on. Getting to bring together members, alumni, and faculty members alike to celebrate Professor Kappel’s work at a gorgeous venue like the Natural History museum was a pleasure.”
The Seaborg Banquet is a tradition for the Beta Gamma chapter of Alpha Chi Sigma. The Alpha Chi Sigma Glenn T. Seaborg Award (not to be confused with the Glenn T. Seaborg Medal awarded by the department) is presented annually at the banquet to an early-career UCLA chemistry and biochemistry faculty member in recognition of their outstanding achievements, with emphasis on research, mentorship, and teaching. Kappel joined UCLA as an assistant professor in chemistry in 2025. Her lab focuses on developing predictive sequence-structure-function models of RNA, proteins, and their interactions by combining high-throughput experiments, machine learning, and computational biophysical methods.
Article by Parker Powers and Ilinca Flacau, axeseaborg@gmail.com.
Photos by Sofia McMaster.
