Dr. Judith Burstyn (Ph.D. ’86, Valentine group), a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UCLA alumna, has been appointed to lead the Division of Chemistry (CHE) of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). Burstyn received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from UCLA in 1986, working with Professor […]

Professor David Leigh (University of Manchester) visited UCLA on October 24, 2024, to give the 2024 Cram Distinguished Lecture. A pioneer in the field of molecular machines, Leigh has developed methods to use chemical fuels to drive their motion in a controlled, directional manner, rather than randomly. Enthusiastic students, postdocs, researchers, and faculty members attended […]

A new study by UCLA organic chemists shows how to create several types of molecules that violate Bredt’s rule, known as anti-Bredt olefins (ABOs). Many modern textbooks and online resources describe ABOs as being “too unstable to form” or “forbidden”. The research provides chemists with practical methods to synthesize and utilize ABOs in reactions, 100 […]

Graduate student Robert Lavroff (Alexandrova group) has been awarded the 2024 Chemical Computing Group Excellence Award for outstanding research in computational chemistry. Lavroff is one of the five awardees who will receive a travel stipend to attend the 2025 ACS National Meeting in San Diego, along with a one-year license for the Molecular Operating Environment […]

Professor Matthew Nava is one of the recipients of the inaugural Scialog: Sustainable Minerals, Metals, and Materials awards, and he has also received an American Chemical Society (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) Doctoral New Investigator (DNI) grant. The Scialog award, funded by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and […]

Four graduate students have been selected as Fellows for the long-running Chemistry-Biology Interface (CBI) Training Grant at UCLA, while two have been chosen as Associate trainees. The Fellows are Izaiah Cole (Lawson lab), Elena Hauf Pisoni (Guo lab), Lilith Schwartz (Kamariza lab, who previously participated in the training grant as an Associate), and Sarah Singleton […]

Many members of the UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry community will be hosting interactive booths and giving engaging talks at this year’s Exploring Your Universe (EYU) at UCLA on Sunday, Nov. 3. Join us for the fun! The main events take place from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm in the Court of Sciences. All activities are […]

Adjunct professor of chemistry, longtime fire fighter, and UCLA alumnus Derek Urwin (B.S. ’03 Math, M.S. ’17, Ph.D. ’22 Chemistry, Alexandrova group) is featured in a UC Newsroom article about his research that reveals PAHs’ affinity for binding to DNA — and evading repair. From UCLA Newsroom (by Wayne Lewis): Chemicals produced by fires show […]