Catalyst Magazine Spring 2026

A cover of a magazine showing a man in brown suit standing in a lab.

On the Cover

Omar Yahgi

Photo by Brittany Hosea-Small

The College of Chemistry’s Nobel Tradition

On the morning of October 8, 2025, Omar Yaghi was changing planes in Brussels when his phone rang. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences was calling. By the time he stepped onto his next flight, he was a Nobel laureate.

Chemical bonds beyond the lab: Douglas S. Clark

Dean Emeritus Clark has spent time reflecting on his career recently — as one might do when one steps away from being dean for 12 years.

More from this issue

Dean's Desk: Honored by our past, inspired by our future

In her first letter as Interim Dean, Anne Baranger speaks on the committment and talent of our college community, as well as highlights of this issue of Catalyst Magazine.

A woman with long blonde hair, wearing a dark jacket smiling for a photo.

Margaux Pinney uses revolutionary methods in biochemistry to help create better treatments for disease

Pinney always wanted to know more about biology. She ended up double majoring in chemistry and biochemistry, and there, she honed in on the research topic she'd dedicate her career to: enzymes.

Man smiling and wearing glasses, leaning against a wall.

Neil Razdan cuts across disciplines in his search for sustainability in fuels

In 2024, Razdan returned to Berkeley as a Free Radicals Era Professor, an endowed position supported by alumni involved in the free speech movement at Berkeley in the 1960s. 

A woman posing for a portrait wearing a maroon shirt, with a building in the background.

Sensors, science, and service: in the lab with Jaquesta Adams

Adams is a Chemistry Ph.D. candidate in Professor Markita Landry’s lab at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on developing near-infrared fluorescent single-walled carbon nanotube sensors for high spatiotemporal resolution neurochemical imaging.

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Funding the Undergraduate Experience

When donors support the College of Chemistry, they are not only supporting research, but shaping every stage of the undergraduate journey.