Alumni

Recent Alumni News

Two students wearing Husky gear smile for the camera holding a sign that reads "It's a great day to be a dawg."

Thank you for joining us on Husky Giving Day

Thank you for joining us this Husky Giving Day and opening the door to discovery for undergraduate students in the Department of Chemistry! Husky Giving Day is a time when we really can all come together. Members of our community who participated represent diverse demographics including GOLD alumni (graduates of the last decade), alumni who have celebrated the golden anniversary of their graduation, alumni with degrees outside of chemistry or biochemistry, UW staff and faculty, first-time… Read more
Husky Giving Day badge on a purple and gold background

Husky Giving Day is April 4

Mark your calendars for Thursday, April 4, Husky Giving Day, the University Washington's annual one-day giving campaign. Join us in supporting the people, programs and causes you care about most. Together we can change the world. Please help us fund a summer stipend for an undergraduate researcher through the Chemistry Scholarship Fund on April 4 by visiting our Husky Giving Day page to make… Read more
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Alumni Updates from 2024

Content will be added on this page as alumni submit updates, so check back periodically! If you have an update, please let us know. Last update: 3/18/2024 1980s Dan Jaffe (Ph.D. 1987) is Professor of Environmental Chemistry at the University of Washington in Bothell. His research on outdoor air pollution is often in the news, and recently, his work on indoor air pollution was… Read more
An illustration of a water molecule (where the hydrogen atoms are white, the oxygen atoms are red, and the electrons are gold) and a synchronized attosecond x-ray pulse pair (shown in pink and green) from an X-ray free electron laser. Nathan Johnson/PNNL

First-ever atomic freeze-frame of liquid water

Image: Scientists used a synchronized attosecond x-ray pulse pair (shown in pink and green) from an X-ray free electron laser to study the energetic response of electrons (gold) in liquid water on attosecond time scales, while the hydrogen (white) and oxygen (red) atoms are ‘frozen’ in time. Nathan Johnson/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory In a paper published in Science on February 15, 2024, researchers… Read more
Headshot of Vlada Olkhovych

Student Experience: Vlada Olkhovych

As a bright student growing up in Ukraine, Vlada Olkhovych was driven to succeed by her mother, Alla.   “She was a single mother, and she didn’t have a college degree,” Vlada said. “Growing up, she always pushed me to get a good education, a good job, to have a better life than she had. She was a big inspiration for me.”  When it came time to pick an undergraduate major at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Vlada chose chemistry. A curious person, she loved how broad the subject was,… Read more
Giving Tuesday logo. Do good, Feel good.

Support UW Chemistry this Giving Tuesday

Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of giving. The University of Washington Department of Chemistry is joining the PNW community for #GivingTuesday on November 28, 2023! Your gift to the Friends of Chemistry Fund provides unrestricted support so we can use it where it’s needed most. In the past year, your gifts have made a tangible impact on: Support for undergraduate and graduate students in the forms of scholarships, fellowships, merit awards,… Read more
Baccalaureates smile and wave at the audience at the departmental commencement celebration

The Impact of Your Support

Our capacity for excellence in research and teaching is a direct result of hundreds of friends and alumni coming together to support the department’s work each year. With your help, we are educating the next generation of leading scientists, advancing the field of chemistry, and accelerating vital scientific discoveries. In the past year, your gifts have made a tangible impact on: Recruiting the top graduate student applicants by providing generous fellowship support Strengthening research… Read more
Close up shot of "UW Chemistry" embroidered in purple on a white lab coat

Updates to our Staff Roster

Welcome to the new staff in the Department of Chemistry! Andrea Gallagher, Grants SpecialistStarted February 2023 Andrea has been with UW for five years at UW Bothell, UW Tacoma, and most recently in the Department of Medicine, Allergy and Infectious Diseases (AID). Andrea has extensive experience with both pre-award and post-award grant management of NIH and NSF awards, and has worked on a variety of other government awards; she really enjoys the pre-… Read more
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I am First-Generation: Usha Varanasi 

The National First-Generation College Celebration is on November 8, and we’re celebrating our first-generation community! Read Alumna and Affiliate Professor Usha Varanasi's story as Featured on UW College of Arts & Sciences News 
White and gold text on a purple background: November 8. Celebrate First Gen. National 1st-Generation College Celebration. Bothell, Seattle, Tacoma. W.

We are First-Generation: College of Arts & Sciences Faculty and Staff

The National First-Generation College Celebration is on November 8, and we’re celebrating our first-generation community! See the stories Featured on UW College of Arts & Sciences News 
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