By Ben Paul, UCLA Division of Physical Sciences A growing culture of entrepreneurship is reshaping how UCLA chemists think about discovery, impact, and their role beyond the lab. When Mike Jung first tried to commercialize his research, his early attempts at translating academic research into drug development didn’t go as planned. Not surprisingly, it’s hard […]

Dr. Jeffrey Stafford ‘84, CEO of 858 Therapeutics and a veteran biotechnology executive and scientist, has been named the recipient of the 2026 UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry Alumni Award. Stafford will accept the award and present the commencement address at the UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry graduation ceremony on Saturday, June 13, 2026. Stafford has co-founded […]

Professor Melissa Ramirez (Ph.D. ’21 organic chemistry, Garg and Houk groups), an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, is profiled in a recent UCLA Newsroom article. Ramirez co-authored a recently released book titled “Extraordinary Latina Vol V: Reclaiming Courage, Healing, & the Power Within”. From UCLA Newsroom (by Álvaro Castillo): […]

Department Chair Professor Alexander Spokoyny has been selected as a 2025 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of his distinguished contributions in main group and organometallic chemistry and academic community engagement and leadership. AAAS is the world’s largest general-scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. Spokoyny is […]

A UCLA research team led by Professor Xiangfeng Duan, with postdoctoral fellows Dr. Laiyuan Wan and Dr. Boxuan Zhou, has discovered a way to dramatically improve how electrical current enters perovskite semiconductors, an emerging class of materials with significant potential for next-generation electronics. From UCLA Newsroom (By Nicole Wilkins): How UCLA researchers cleared the nanoscale […]

The Graduate Biochemistry Student Association (gBSA) recently hosted a Wine and Paint Night, an evening of creativity and connection enjoyed by Chemistry and Biochemistry graduate students and post-docs. Held in Boyer Hall 159, the event provided a welcoming space for attendees to unwind, socialize, and express themselves artistically. Photos below – Teams showing progress of […]

On Tuesday, February 17, 2026, members of the UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry community gathered at UCLA Carnesale Commons to celebrate the installation of 13 endowed chairs in the department. Donors, faculty, students, alumni, friends, and family members gathered for a reception before moving to the Palisades Ballroom for dinner and the ceremony, where chairholders and […]

Ninety-seven years ago today, Chemistry 1A became the first class ever taught on UCLA’s Westwood campus. After a mysterious fire reduced the university’s chemistry laboratories to ashes in 1929, a group of students unknowingly inaugurated UCLA’s future home in Westwood. The 125 students enrolled in Professor Hosmer W. Stone’s Chemistry 1A course were in a […]