On June 14, the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry hosted this year’s commencement ceremony to celebrate the graduating class of 2025. At the ceremony, 37 of our students received Ph.D. degrees, 21 students received Master of Applied Chemical Sciences degrees, six Departmental Scholars received Master of Science degrees, and 295 undergraduate students received bachelor’s […]

The UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry is pleased to announce that Distinguished Professor Richard Kaner (UCLA) has been chosen as the 2026 Seaborg Medalist. The Seaborg Medal, established in 1987, is the highest honor our department bestows for distinguished contributions to science, technological innovation, and/or public service in science. We will honor Professor Richard Kaner […]

Alumnus Dr. Thomas Scott Griffin was finally hooded at the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry commencement ceremony on June 14, 2025—more than five decades after earning his Ph.D. in Natural Products Chemistry in 1970. Griffin completed his dissertation, “Studies of the Acid Color Reactions and Structures of Sesquiterpene Lactones,” under the mentorship of Professor […]

Each year at commencement, we recognize our graduate, master’s, and undergraduate students for their accomplishments in academics and research. The following 2025 Chemistry & Biochemistry Commencement Awards were presented to our students at the department’s annual commencement ceremony. Congratulations to all the recipients! We are incredibly grateful to our donors, whose generous gifts make these awards […]

Professors Heather Maynard, Irene Chen, Abigail Doyle, José Rodriguez, and Yi Tang, along with members of their research groups, are part of a team that has successfully synthesized analogs of depsides—natural compounds with promising antibacterial properties—marking a significant advance in antimicrobial research. The team’s collaboration with Professor Javier Read de Alaniz of the University of […]

Congratulations to graduate students Morgan Grimes (Lawson group), Ferdawss Ihiri (Alexandrova/Garcia-Garibay groups), Benjamin Janda (Garg group), and Giulianna Miseo (Garg group), whose 2025 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) Honorable Mentions have been upgraded to full Awards. Earlier this month, 504 applicants were selected from the 2025 GRFP Honorable Mention list and […]

This year’s annual Organic Graduate Symposium, held in the Yoo Conference Hall and Collaboratory on June 13, 2025, featured brilliant talks by 11 chemistry graduate students. The annual Organic Graduate Symposium (OGS) provides a forum for organic chemistry graduate students in their final year to present their dissertation research at UCLA to their peers, researchers, […]

On June 9, 2025, we celebrated the many accomplishments of our alumni, faculty, postdoctoral researchers, students, and staff at our annual departmental awards ceremony. Each year at this event, we gather together to celebrate the accomplishments of our department members in the University’s primary missions: research, teaching, and service. We also recognize our staff members […]