Dear Friend of Chemistry,
I hope this summer afforded you the opportunity to take a break and refresh yourself. With the start of a new academic year upon us, this magazine highlights our successes of the past year, celebrating the achievements of our students, postdocs, faculty members, and staff.
Last year, I wrote about our need to invest in our research infrastructure. I am delighted to share with you the progress we have made on the Chemical Sciences Building project. … Read more
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Alec Kroll will join us as Assistant Teaching Professor of Chemistry on September 1, 2024. Beginning in Autumn 2024, he will teach undergraduate general chemistry courses, starting with CHEM 142.
Dr. Kroll received a B.S. in chemistry from Emory University and the Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Colorado Boulder. He conducted laboratory research with the Widicus Weaver research group at Emory University during his undergraduate years and returned… Read more
Nick Riley is a native of Louisville, Kentucky whose academic career has taken him to South Carolina, Wisconsin, and California prior to landing in Seattle.
Nick was a Robert C. McNair Scholar and member of the South Carolina Honors College for his undergraduate studies at the University of South Carolina. There he participated in numerous activities, including being a University Ambassador (tour guide), Resident Mentor, Orientation Leader, and member of the Men’s Club Rugby Team. He also… Read more
We are pleased to announce that Assistant Professor Alexandra Velian has been promoted to associate professor with tenure and Associate Professors Ashleigh Theberge and Joshua Vaughan have been promoted to professor. These promotions are effective September 16, 2024.
Alexandra Velian
Associate Professor
Professor Alexandra Velian’s research program targets the design of new materials that contribute to decarbonization, clean energy and… Read more
Optoelectronics is one of the foundational technologies of the information age: it spans displays, data transmission, sensors, and future quantum information systems. Researchers across multiple disciplines at eleven universities are employing state-of-the-art theoretical and experimental tools that enable the synthesis of transformative technologies and materials that fundamentally change how we interact with light. And the University of Washington is the hub of this interdisciplinary team.… Read more
Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) allow current to flow in devices like implantable biosensors. But scientists long knew about a quirk of OECTs that no one could explain: When an OECT is switched on, there is a lag before current reaches the desired operational level. When switched off, there is no lag. Current drops almost immediately.
A UW-led study has solved this lagging mystery, and in the process paved the way to custom-tailored OECTs for a growing list of applications in… Read more
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,… Read more
A lollipop to test for strep throat. A microfluidic device to enable signaling between cells. A kit for the remote collection of blood-based RNA (ribonucleic acid). These are among the recent innovations from Ashleigh Theberge’s chemistry lab at the University of Washington.
The Theberge Group invents bioanalytical chemistry tools to improve healthcare and advance knowledge of chemical mechanisms in the body. Many of their… Read more
The UW College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) is preparing to launch a capital campaign to fund a new, cutting-edge Chemical Sciences Building (CSB), slated to open in 2028. The new building will replace all existing chemistry research labs in Bagley Hall and the Chemistry Library Building and will propel UW Chemistry into the next generation of research and teaching excellence.
Many of the world’s most complex challenges will be addressed through interdisciplinary research in the chemical… Read more
What are your group’s dissertation defense traditions?
Vaughan Group
Professor Joshua C. Vaughan:
We do a Doktorhut (German-style “doctor hats” or mortarboard) decorated with memorabilia, miniature interpretations of research papers, sculptures of volcanoes, and blinking lights. These are lots of fun. (Lauren Gagnon '19 is pictured above.)
We also do a "lightning wisdom transfer" from each successive graduate student to the next using a plasma… Read more
What are your group’s dissertation defense traditions?
Keller group
Sarah L. Keller, Duane and Barbara LaViolette Endowed Professor of Chemistry:
One year, on a lark, I made a cake that illustrated a graduate student’s research project and used it as a visual aid during my introduction of their dissertation defense. Somehow, the next couple of students’ projects also lent themselves to cakes. (Our lab’s main research focus is on lipid vesicles and cell membranes, which tend to be round. See… Read more
On Saturday, May 11, 2024, the undergraduate chemistry club, Free Radicals, ignited a passion for chemistry in local high school students, hosting an immersive experience in university-level research and lab work.
The half-day event brought together thirty students from eight local high schools for an exciting journey into the world of chemistry and biochemistry. The day began with a comprehensive campus tour led by Free Radicals members, introducing the students to the University of… Read more
Graduate students are more than their science. They influence the trajectories of our research groups and institutions in a multitude of ways. And yet, when we look around after our Ph.D. students leave, all we have left are their theses sitting on a shelf and the science they contain (and maybe… Read more
Welcome to our new staff colleague in the Department of Chemistry!
Mark Bentz ‘97, Grants Specialist
Started July 2024
Mark is joining Chemistry as a grants specialist working with Mark Hertle. Mark Bentz earned a B.A. in music theory and history from the University of Washington in 1997 and began working for UW in 1998. Mark has 20 years of experience working with grant applications, first in the Department of Medicine, 2004-2020, and… Read more
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: 10/18/2024
1950s
Richard Gordon (B.S. 1951) was memorialized by the Gordon Elementary Book Club in a picture book about him published by the group at the school named after him. Read the coverage by Tyler Shuey, "… Read more
What will our recent graduates be doing when they leave the UW? We look forward to expanding this page quarter by quarter!
Content will be added to this page as students graduate, so check back periodically! Last update: 10/18/2024
Rahoul Banerjee Ghosh (B.S. 2024) is headed to the University of California, Berkeley, to join the Chemistry Ph.D. program, studying theoretical and computational chemistry.
Somnath Biswas, Ph.D., concluded postdoctoral research with Munira Khalil and will be a… Read more
Bernard “Bernie” Santarsiero ’80, earned his Ph.D. from the University of Washington in 1980, where he worked with crystallography pioneers Professors Edward C. Lingafelter and Verner Schomaker. His postdoctoral training included work as a Myron A. Bantrell Research Fellow in Chemical Catalysis with Professors Dick Marsh, Harry Gray, John Bercaw, and Bob Grubbs at Caltech where he was also Director of the X-Ray Laboratories in Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Deputy Master of Student Houses… Read more
1940s
Alvin Katsman, M.D.
‘44, Bellevue, WA, age 100, 1/20/2024
S. Roger Hevel, M.D.
‘46, Waitsburg, WA, age 98, 1/26/2024
1950s
Kenneth N. Anderson, Sr., M.D.
‘51, Seattle, WA, age 94, 2/20/2024… Read more
A year in review of honors and achievements by UW Chemistry faculty, staff, and postdoctoral scholars.
Jump to Staff
Jump to Postdoctoral Scholar
FACULTY
Charles Campbell
Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis, American Chemical Society
Brandi Cossairt… Read more
A year in review of honors and achievements by UW Chemistry graduate students.
Jump to Prizes for Best Ph.D. Thesis
Jump to Prizes for M.S. Research and Thesis
Jump to Merit Awards
Jump to Leadership in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Awards
Jump to University and External Awards
Excellence in Chemistry Graduate Awards
These fellowships were awarded in autumn 2023 and… Read more
A year in review of honors and achievements by UW Chemistry and Biochemistry undergraduate students.
Jump to ChemStar/ChemStarter Undergraduate Research Scholarship (2023)
Jump to ChemStar Summer Research Stipend (2024)
Jump to University and External Awards… Read more
Jump to MSACST Degrees
DOCTORAL DEGREES AWARDED
Summer 2023, Autumn 2023, Winter 2024, and Spring 2024
Alex Bard, PhD Chemistry
Probing the Interplay Between Chemical Mechanisms and Crystal Growth in Synthesis using Sodium Yttrium Fluoride
(Professor Peter Pauzauskie, Materials Science & Engineering)… Read more
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 top graduate students: Your generous fellowship support attracts the brightest… Read more