The College of Arts & Sciences at Utah State University has selected Professor Anastassia Alexandrova for a 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of her “extraordinary academic and scientific accomplishments and her lasting contributions to the field of chemistry.” Known for her groundbreaking work in theory and computation, Alexandrova is the Charles W. Clifford Jr. […]

Cholesterol plays a central role in cell health, influencing membrane fluidity, curvature, and signaling. To maintain proper cholesterol levels, cells rely on tightly regulated transport systems that move cholesterol between membranes and organelles. However, many of the proteins involved in sensing, binding, and trafficking cholesterol—and how they dynamically interact—remain poorly understood. A team of researchers, […]

A research team led by Professor Paul Weiss and chemical biology Ph.D. candidate AJ Addae (P. Weiss/Caram groups) has developed a mineral sunscreen formulation that significantly reduces the white, chalky cast that keeps many people from wearing sun protection daily. From UCLA Newsroom (by Denise Heady): A novel shape of zinc oxide helps reduce chalkiness […]

Open to all first-year chemistry and biochemistry majors in the fall quarter, the course is designed to help students build academic skills, navigate challenges, and thrive in their chemistry and biochemistry studies and beyond.  As students embark on their journey as a chemistry or biochemistry major, it is crucial that they not only master the […]

Professor Gerard Wong and bioengineering Ph.D. students William Schmidt and Rena Yang are part of a UCLA-led research team that has discovered that bacteria are present inside the most common type of kidney stone, revealing a previously unrecognized component involved in their formation. From UCLA Health Newswise (By Enrique Rivero) Researchers Discover a Previously Unknown […]

In 2024, Professor Neil Garg’s lab, teaming up with Professor Ken Houk, violated Bredt’s rule, a 100-year-old rule stating that molecules cannot have a carbon-carbon double bond at the “bridgehead” position (the ring junction of a bridged bicyclic molecule). Now, they’ve developed the chemistry of more cage-shaped molecules that contain unusually weak double-bonds called cubene and quadricyclene.  […]

Researcher Dr. Maher El-Kady (Kaner group) was recently interviewed by Asharq Al-Awsat, one of the world’s leading international Arabic newspapers, for two feature stories on the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the global impact of the Nobel Prizes on scientific discovery. The first article examined the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which recognized Saudi-Jordanian […]

Inventions by six members of the UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry community are featured in the Fall 2025, UCLA Magazine article “The Top 25 Bruinventions of the 21st Century (So Far).” Professor Michael Jung — Pelage hair-loss treatment (2025) and the prostate cancer drugs Xtandi and Erleada (2012, 2018). Professor Emeritus James Bowie and former lab […]