Awards and Honors

College of Chemistry awards and honors featured in the news.

Students from UC Berkeley excel at "Big Ideas"

May 23, 2019
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

students win with big ideas

Exciting ideas come out of interactions between students at UC Berkeley on a regular basis. But some of those good ideas make it a step farther and become "Big Ideas" thanks to support from the Andrew & Virginia Rudd Family Foundation. This year, two teams from UC Berkeley, including students from the College of Chemistry have won first place for their projects.

Peidong Yang's lab awarded CO2 challenge grant from NASA

May 22, 2019
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

A team of researchers from the lab of Peidong Yang have received a phase one grant for their project to develop an integrated system to synthesize sugars from CO2. NASA is preparing to land humans on the Moon in 2024, the agency is keeping a keen eye on technologies needed for Mars missions that will follow. New technologies will be needed to sustain human life as we move out into the stars.

Frances Arnold: from graduate student to Nobel Laureate

March 3, 2019
by Michael Barnes | College of Chemistry

Frances ArnoldIn the early 1980s, the lab of College biomolecular engineer Harvey Blanch brought together an adventurous group of young researchers and launched them on long and successful careers. One of them, Caltech professor Frances Arnold, has won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discoveries in the directed evolution of enzymes. Arnold is the fifth woman to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry since it was first awarded in 1901.

Douglas Clark receives award for excellence in biochemical engineering

May 6, 2019
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Douglas Clark

Dean Douglas Clark has been awarded the prestigious D.I.C. Wang Award for Excellence in Biochemical Engineering for 2019 from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

Omar Yaghi elected to the National Academy of Sciences

April 30, 2019
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Omar Yaghi

Omar Yaghi, Neeltje Tretter Chair Professor of Chemistry, was announced today as one of a 100 new members, and 25 foreign members, of the National Academy of Sciences. The election is in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.

Christiane Stachl wins Outstanding Student Leadership Award

April 22, 2019

JChristiane (Chrissy) Stachl

College of Chemistry graduate student Christiane (Chrissy) Stachl has received the Deans Outstanding Student award for demonstrating remarkable vision, commitment, and success as the President of the Chemistry Graduate Life Committee, and for her contributions to creating opportunities to promote equity and inclusion within the Chemistry Department.

Jeffrey Long named a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

April 18, 2019
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Jeffrey Long

Jeffrey Long, a UC Berkeley Professor of Chemistry and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) for 2019. He joins eight fellow faculty from Berkeley in this year's class. The new class of more than 200 members recognizes the outstanding achievements of individuals in academia, the arts, business, government, and public affairs.

Martin Head-Gordon elected to the Royal Society of London

April 18, 2019
Royal Society of London Press Release

Martin Head-Gordon

Martin Head-Gordon, has been named one of fifty-one eminent scientists inducted in 2019 into the Fellows of the Royal Society for his exceptional contributions to science. His research interests center on developing electronic structure theory, algorithms, and simulation codes, with the goal of attaining accurate computable models for exploring chemical problems ranging from catalytic reaction mechanisms to understanding of molecular interactions and chemical bonds.

MOF water harvesting technology one of ten innovations that could change the world

April 4, 2019
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Testing the water harvester

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) has released the results of its first search for the Top Ten Emerging Technologies in Chemistry. Initiated as a special activity in honor of IUPAC’s 100th anniversary this year, the results have been published in the 2019 April-June 2019 issue of Chemistry International. Research from the lab of Omar Yaghi on water harvesting from desert air technology has been featured as one of the top 10.

Meet Frances Arnold, Teenage Rebel Turned Nobel Laureate

March 28, 2019
By Virgie Hoban | California Magazine

Frances Arnold

At 15, she was a class-skipping, catch-me-if-you-can maverick hitchhiking to D.C. to protest the Vietnam War. Looking back on those years now, Frances Arnold says, “Fifteen is one of those terrifying ages, where you’re frustrated because you know something’s wrong, but you have no idea how to fix it. So I did what I could, which is protest. “But as I’ve gone through my life,” she continues, “I know that it’s my responsibility to fix it. I’m much better at fixing things than protesting.”