Alumni News

UC Berkeley grad takes a closer look at nuclear forensics chemistry

January 14, 2021

In 2017, radiochemistry graduate student Mark Straub left the comfortable academic environs of UC Berkeley and moved to the middle of New Mexico, where he spent his summer working full time at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), the birthplace of the Manhattan Project. There, Mark teamed up with LANL scientists Jaqueline Kiplinger and Julianna Fessenden to study the impact and evolution of nuclear forensics, a process in which nuclear material can be examined to determine its source and history.

Mark’s interest...

The journey here: Alumna Chun (Tracy) Liu's passion for art

December 2, 2022

Alumna Tracy Liu

Photo: Evan Krape/University of Delaware

In a new article out from Princeton Alumni Weekly , Chun (Tracy) Liu (B.S. Chem '10) didn’t have one set dream as a child. She developed an interest in art early in life. Her father was an antiques dealer and aesthete. He taught her how to paint. Liu was...

CNRS 2019 Innovation Medal awarded to alum Vance Bergeron

September 26, 2019

Vance Bergeron

Alum Vance Bergeron (Ph.D. '93, ChemE) is a specialist in the physico-chemical properties of soft matter and passionate about cycling. After a traffic accident in 2013, Bergeron had to face becoming a quadriplegic. Now, he is working in the field of neuro-rehabilitation where he has launched a research program that brings together researchers, doctors and people affected by disabilities to expand on people's recovery.

ExxonMobil and Mosaic Materials explore new carbon capture technology

August 27, 2019

ExxonMobile announces deal with Mosaic Materials

Sometimes solutions to complex, wide-ranging challenges can fit in the palm of your hand. That is certainly true with a developing technology that could help bring carbon capture to scale around the world. Invented at the University of California, Berkeley and supported by a group of entrepreneurial scientists at Cyclotron Road, these breath-mint sized pellets efficiently adsorb carbon dioxide from emission sources.

The College mourns the passing of Alan Mendelson

October 11, 2021

Dear Colleagues,

It is with a very heavy heart that I write to let you know that Alan Mendelson (B.A. ’69; J.D. ’73, Harvard) died on Friday evening. Alan was at Oracle Park watching his beloved San Francisco Giants when he suffered a medical emergency.


Many of us knew Alan as a giant in the field of Life Sciences, having provided highly-respected legal counsel in key research, academic and business communities. We also knew him as a dedicated partner, a critical part of both the Cal and greater UC community, a trusted advisor, a...

John Markels announced as new College of Chemistry Advisory Board Chair

January 22, 2021

John Markels

John Markels, President of Vaccines, Merck (photo courtesy of Merck).

The College is delighted to announce that John Markels (Ph.D. '93, ChemE), President of Vaccines at Merck, will be our next...

Forbes 30 under 30 in Science: Joaquin Resasco

December 7, 2019

Joaquin Resasco

Alum Joaquin Resasco (Ph.D. '17, ChemE) has been named one of "Forbes 30 under 30 in Science" for 2020! Resasco has been reconginzed for his work aimed around shifting the decades-old paradigm of using petroleum for chemical energy into one that uses water and the atmosphere as stock for commodities, powered by renewable energy. To that end, he’s focused on designing catalysts that can be used for the sustainable production of essential chemicals and polymers.

Spotlight on SEMI Women recognizes alum Ellie Yieh

December 26, 2018

Ellie YiehSpotlight on SEMI Women is excited to recognize Q4 2018 honoree Ellie Yieh (College of Chemistry Advisory Board member and alumna) from Applied Materials! Spotlight on SEMI Women recognizes and celebrates accomplished women working in the global microelectronics industry. Nominees include women who are beacons of knowledge, leaders of organizations and initiatives, hidden heroes and innovators in our industry. They are volunteers, protectors, intellectual disruptors and activists.

Nobel Prize award ceremony to be streamed live December 10

December 3, 2018

Nobel Laureate ceremony December 10th

This year's Nobel Laureates in science and medicine will take center stage in Stockholm on December 10th, when they receive the Nobel medal and diploma from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. This year's awardees include UC Berkeley Alumna Professor Frances Arnold of Caltech.

The importance of nurturing our undergraduate students

January 13, 2019

Alexandra Brown receives Hertz Foundation FellowshipThe Fannie and John Hertz Foundation announced its new class of fellows for 2018 in the spring, naming alumna Alexandra Brown (B.S. Chem, ’17) one of ten newly minted graduate students as a recipient. As an undergraduate at Berkeley, Brown worked in the research group of Professor John Arnold studying titanium-aluminum heterobimetallics supported by bridging hydride ligands.