Honored by our past, inspired by our future

I have been so proud in many ways to be a part of the Berkeley faculty in the College of Chemistry for the last 15 years. Now I am serving as interim dean, and the past year has given me yet another reason to feel honored and inspired. Witnessing the steadfast commitment of our community and the talent of our students and researchers reminds me that the College is not only a place of scholarship, but a legacy of leadership and shared purpose.

Much of the new knowledge, insight, and perspective I have gained of the College as interim dean has been through my interactions with former Dean Douglas Clark. With his remarkable 12-year tenure as dean, Doug has provided valuable wisdom to me as I settle into this important role. In this issue, we highlight Doug's illustrious career and the many ways in which he strengthened and elevated our chemistry and chemical engineering community.

Needless to say, it was an incredibly exciting time in October when it was announced that our colleague, Omar Yaghi, won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (together with Susumu Kitagawa and Richard Robson) for the development of metal-organic frameworks–highly porous, 3D crystalline materials composed of metal nodes linked together by organic molecules to create a sponge-like structure. Potential applications include harvesting water from desert air, capturing carbon dioxide, storing toxic gases, and catalyzing chemical reactions. Omar is the sixth current faculty member in the College to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, extending our celebrated Nobel tradition.

Two recently hired faculty are spotlighted in this issue:

• Margaux Pinney, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, is a chemical biologist and enzymologist who develops high-throughput platforms to quantify enzyme function and properties at unprecedented scale. Her lab studies how proteins evolve and adapt, and leverages these insights to predict, engineer, and target enzymes.
• Neil Razdan, Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, develops catalytic technologies that enable global decarbonization of the chemical industry and energy sector. The Razdan Group leverages fundamental concepts native to heterogeneous catalysis and electrochemistry to clarify mechanistic understanding of complex energy-conversion systems in order to formulate catalytic technologies that sustainably produce high-value fuels and chemicals.

I hope you enjoy learning a little about their independent research programs. I look forward to watching the continued success of Margaux, Neil, and all of our assistant professors as they emerge as leaders and pioneers in their respective disciplines.

You will also have the chance here to read about another rising talent, Jaquesta Adams, who is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in chemistry working on the development of near-infrared fluorescent nanosensors. Her research aims to improve understanding of and therapeutic outcomes for neurological disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Jaquesta exemplifies the caliber of our graduate students–consistently among the best in the nation–and reflects our commitment to training the next generation of trailblazers in chemistry and chemical engineering.

We continue to watch the striking progress of the construction of Heathcock Hall. In February, a "topping out ceremony" was held with the College community and the construction teams in celebration of a construction milestone. This traditional ceremony marked the installation of the final, highest structural beam of the project. It was a momentous occasion, and I am eager for the next milestone: a finished building in fall 2027!

I am so very grateful for all of the support I have received since becoming interim dean. With your partnership and engagement, I anticipate many more triumphs for the College of Chemistry.

ANNE BARANGER
Interim Dean, College of Chemistry