Alumni News

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...

Are heavy metals toxic? Scientists find surprising clues in yeast

June 7, 2021

Rare earth elements

Elements on the periodic table that make up the lanthanides, or rare-earth heavy elements.

Lanthanides are rare-earth heavy metals with useful magnetic properties and a knack for emitting light. Researchers had long assumed that lanthanides’ toxicity risk was low and therefore safe to implement in a number of high-tech breakthroughs we now take for...

Alumna Geraldine Richmond nominated to serve in the Department of Energy

May 11, 2021

Geraldine Richmond

Image credit – Todd Cooper / jasontoddcooper.com

Geraldine Richmond (Ph.D. 80, Chem), University of Oregon’s (UO) Presidential Chair in Science and Professor of Chemistry, has been nominated to serve in the Biden administration as undersecretary for science in the...

PMP 先鋒材料科技集團與柏克萊加州大學化學院建立合作關系

April 5, 2021

Heathcock Hall front entrance illustration

Conceptual rendering of the ground floor entrance of Heathcock Hall looking East. (Courtesy HOK Architects)

PMP 先鋒材料科技集團(PMP Tech)承諾的1000萬美元,不僅可以為未來柏克萊加州大學化學、化學工程及化學生物學專業學生提供更多的學習機會,還將用於建造一幢具備開創性的教學樓,為化學科學家和工程師們提供一流的科研工作環境。

PMP Tech以制造用於消費電子產品的創新高科技彈性體和其它環保橡膠產品享譽全球。2020年,...

PMP Tech Forms a Bond with the College of Chemistry

April 5, 2021

Heathcock Hall front entrance illustration

Conceptual rendering of the ground floor entrance of Heathcock Hall looking East. (Courtesy HOK)

A $10 million commitment from Taiwan-based company Pioneer Material Precision Tech (PMP Tech) will catalyze educational opportunities for future generations of Berkeley chemistry, chemical...

Alumna and Nobel Laureate Frances Arnold tapped by President Biden to be co-chair of the President's Council of Advisers on Science and Technology

January 19, 2021

Frances Arnold speaks at announcement ceremony

Professor Arnold speaks on the importance of science during a press conference.

President-elect Joe Biden on Saturday introduced key members of his White House science team, including his nominee for director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

"These are among the brightest,...

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...

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 ...

UC Berkeley-led university alliance formed to increase STEM diversity in academia

November 2, 2020

Attendees of the 2018 UC Berkeley led Research Alliance conference

Attendees at the California Alliance AGEP Research Conference and Annual Retreat, UC Berkeley 2018. (photo: Research Alliance)

The Research University Alliance, or RUA,...

Alumna Carol Burns receives Garvan-Olin Medal

September 3, 2020

Carol Burns, alumna, Los Alamos Lab

(Photo: Los Alamos Lab)

Carol Burns (Ph.D. '87, Chem) executive officer for the Deputy Director for Science, Technology & Engineering at Los Alamos National Laboratory, was selected as the recipient of the 2021 American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Francis P. Garvan‒John M. Olin Medal. This national award recognizes...