An Exclusive Look into Dean Miguel García-Garibay’s Research

Posted on January 24, 2024

On Tuesday, January 9^th, members of the UCLA community gathered for a special lecture by Professor Miguel García-Garibay, Dean of the Division of Physical Sciences and Senior Dean of the UCLA College.

Select photos from the lecture can be viewed below and a video of García-Garibay’s lecture can be viewed here.

In his lecture, García-Garibay spoke about his academic work in the development of artificial molecular machinery in crystalline media, and the generation of green chemistry through taking advantage of organic reactions in molecular nanocrystals.

The lecture, held in the Mani L. Bhaumik Centennial Collaboratory and Dongwon Yoo Seminar & Conference Hall, was preceded by a reception.

Dean García-Garibay’s lecture was attended by faculty, students, staff, alumni and UCLA supporters.

(Left) Professor Carlos Gutierrez (California State University Los Angeles), UCLA Professor Catherine Clarke, who gave the welcoming remarks at the lecture, and David Gonzalez-Martinez (UCLA Postdoctoral Scholar in Cardiology). (Right) Dean Miguel García-Garibay with UCLA supporter Takashi Yanai.

(Left) Alumni and Members of the UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry Chair’s Council Walt and Priscila Kasha (left) and Nancy and Larry Davis (right) with Dean Miguel García-Garibay (center). (Right) Alumna Sue Baumgarten and David Totheroh.

(Left) Assistant Dean of Physical Sciences Kathleen Micham and Dean of the Division of Life Sciences Tracy Johnson. (Right) Alumnus Howard Preston, Dean Miguel García-Garibay, Professor Emeriti Kevin McKeegan of UCLA Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, and Professor Emeriti Richard Turco of UCLA Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences.

(Left) Marion Peters (UCLA Librarian Emeritus), Jane Strouse (Emerita, Director of the Molecular Instrumentation Center), Max Kopelvech (Division of Physical Sciences IT Director) and Alumnus Jonathan Mersel. (Right) Professors Paul Weiss and Hannah Shafaat.

Professor Miguel García-Garibay was appointed Dean of Physical Sciences in May 2016, after four years as chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He has been a faculty member in the department since 1992. In 2022 he was appointed Senior Dean of the UCLA College, a two-year term.

About Dean Miguel García-Garibay

García-Garibay came to UCLA after doing postdoctoral research at Columbia University, which followed his Ph.D. studies at the University of British Columbia in Canada. He obtained a B.S. degree in 1985 at the University of Michoacan in Mexico. García-Garibay was promoted to full professor in 2000 and he has served as Vice Chair for Education in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry since 2005. García-Garibay was an editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society and has served as a member of the editorial board the Journal of Organic Chemistry, Crystal Growth and Design, and Accounts of Chemical Research. His current research efforts are aimed at the development of artificial molecular machinery in crystalline media, and the development of green chemistry by taking advantage of organic reactions in molecular nanocrystals.

García-Garibay has been elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Chemical Society. He is also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Mexican Academy of Sciences.

Photos by Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.