On September 27, 2024, members of the department gathered to celebrate the recent promotions of Professors Keriann Backus, Prineha Narang, Ellen Sletten, and Department Chair Alex Spokoyny. Research group members of each faculty member joined the celebration to honor their advisors.
We congratulated Spokoyny, who was promoted to full professor, effective July 1, 2024. Spokoyny joined the faculty in 2014. His research focuses on creating novel materials and molecules to address critical issues in energy and medicine, including the development of new methods for selective labeling, recognition, and bioimaging. He has served as Chair of the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry since 2023. Read Spokoyny’s Faculty Spotlight here.
We extended belated congratulations to Sletten, who was promoted to full professor, effective July 1, 2023. Sletten joined the UCLA faculty in 2015. Her research focuses on the development of chemical tools to study and manipulate biological systems in real-time, with applications in imaging, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Read Sletten’s Faculty Spotlight here.
We also congratulated Backus, who was promoted to associate professor with tenure, effective July 1, 2024. Backus joined the UCLA faculty in 2018 and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Biological Chemistry in the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and in the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. Her research seeks to advance our understanding of protein function and guide discovery of therapeutic targets with innovative mass spectrometry techniques and multi-omic approaches. Read Backus’ Faculty Spotlight here.
Lastly, we extended belated congratulations to Narang, who was promoted to full professor and appointed as Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, effective July 1, 2023. Narang joined the UCLA faculty in 2022. Her research focuses on unraveling quantum phenomena and translating these discoveries into practical applications, exploring innovative uses of quantum sensors to detect environmental changes, such as air quality particulates, while also advancing theoretical knowledge in quantum science. Read Narang’s Faculty Spotlight here.
Article and photos by Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
