Awards and Honors

College of Chemistry awards and honors featured in the news.

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

April 4, 2019

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

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.”

Arnold Lab wins top Berkeley safety award

March 11, 2019

Michael Boreen and Trevor LohreyThis year's grand prize in campus lab safety was awarded to the Arnold lab group in Chemistry, headed by Professor of Chemistry and Undergraduate Dean John Arnold. Lab safety coordinators and chemistry graduate students Michael Boreen and Trevor Lohrey were also aknowledged and on hand to accept the award for the group in February."

Celebrating International Women's Day: Frances Arnold is honored at UC Berkeley

March 8, 2019

Frances ArnoldFrances Arnold admits it will be an emotional moment Friday when, as winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, she’ll be the featured attraction at UC Berkeley for a Dean’s Dinner and reception at the College of Chemistry.

Jean Fréchet: From self-healing phone screens to self-driving cars

March 7, 2019

Jean M.J. FréchetNew research led by Professor emeritus Jean M.J. Fréchet, a leading American chemist, has led to the development of innovative polymeric carriers for transportation of drugs and vaccines inside the human body, and the design of electroactive polymers used for organic transistors and solar cells. For his pioneering work in these areas, Professor Frechet has recently been awarded the 2019 King Faisal Prize in Science.

Emeritus professor Jean Fréchet awarded King Faisal Prize in Science

February 27, 2019

Jean Fréchet named 2019 King Faisal Prize in Science winnerProfessor Jean M. J. Fréchet, UC Berkeley professor emeritus and Allen Bard, Professor of Chemistry at UT Austin have been named co-Laureates of the 2019 King Faisal Prize in Science. The award, announced on January 13, cites Fréchet's pioneering work and seminal contributions in the areas of convergent synthesis of dendrimers and their applications, chemically amplified photoresists and organic photovoltaics. A ceremony honoring the Laureates will be held in March.

Daniel Nomura receives ASPIRE Award from The Mark Foundation

February 21, 2019

Daniel NomuraThe Mark Foundation has announced $3.4 million in ASPIRE Awards to support high risk, high reward approaches to solving complex problems in cancer research. Associate Professor Daniel Nomura has received an ASPIRE award for his project Chemoproteomics-Enabled Covalent Ligand Discovery Platforms for Accessing Novel Druggable Modalities.

Stephen Leone and Norman Yao receive Keck Foundation funding

February 19, 2019

Stephen Leone and Norman Yao, UC BerkeleyProfessors Stephen Leone and Norman Yao have been awarded a $1m science and engineering research grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation. The two scientists will utilize a new technique, ultrafast X-ray spectroscopy, to address important unanswered questions about the formation of non-equilibrium topological phases.

Douglas S. Clark elected to the National Academy of Engineering

February 11, 2019

Douglas Clark UC BerkeleyDouglas Clark, Dean of the College of Chemistry, and professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UC Berkeley has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineer for advances in biocatalyst and bioreaction engineering for drug discovery, drug screening, and bioprocessing.

Professor Christopher Chang awarded the 2019 Sackler Prize in Chemistry

February 1, 2019

Christopher Chang wins Sackler PrizeChristopher Chang, Professor of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology at UC Berkeley has been awarded the Raymond and Beverly Sackler International Prize in Chemistry from Tel Aviv University. The prize recognizes distinguished scientists under age 45 who have made outstanding and fundamental contributions in their fields. Chang’s research interests include inorganic, organic, and biological chemistry. His research laboratory pursues new concepts in sensing and catalysis to study metals in biology and energy.