College of Chemistry

UC Berkeley grad takes a closer look at nuclear forensics chemistry

January 14, 2021
Los Alamos National Lab

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 ...

Omar Yaghi awarded the German Chemical Society gold medal

March 4, 2020
College of Chemistry Press Release

Omar Yaghi

Omar Yaghi has been awrded the the 2020 August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann-Denkmünze. The German Chemical Society bi-annually presents this prestigious award to an outstanding national and international chemists in a wide range of fields. Among the oldest chemistry awards, the August-Wilhelm-von-Hofmann-Denkmünze gold medal was first awarded in 1903. The award is intended to recognize outstanding achievements in chemistry; in particular by scientists working outside of Germany.

Professor Christopher J. Chang awarded the Humboldt Research Award

January 8, 2021
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Christopher J. Chang

Christopher J. Chang, Class of 1942 Chair Professor of Chemistry and Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Berkeley, has been awarded the Humboldt Research Award. The award, honoring internationally recognized researchers, includes a stay at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg where Professor Chang will be hosted...

Tracing the many paths of vision

December 23, 2020
Christina Bielmeier| Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology

zebra fish eye under fluorescent lighting

A new study reports results on decodeing the molecular diversity of neurons in the zebrafish retina. The resulting catalog documented studying individual cell types in the retina and linking them to a specific structure, function and behavioral...

In Memoriam: Charles B. Harris

March 10, 2020
College of Chemistry Press Release

Charles B. Harris

It is with tremendous sadness that I write to share the news that Charles Harris, respected colleague and dedicated champion of the College, passed away at his home this morning; he was 79 years old. Charles was born in New York in 1940 but spent most of his youth in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a suburb just outside of Detroit. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan in 1963 and his Ph.D. degree from MIT in 1966. Charles joined the Berkeley faculty in the Department of Chemistry in 1967.

Scientists recruit new atomic heavyweights in targeted fight against cancer

December 15, 2020
Theresa Duque | Berkeley Lab

Katherine Shield (from left), Dahlia An, and Tyler Bailey at Berkeley Lab

Research authors Katherine Shield (from left), Dahlia An, and Tyler Bailey (lead author) are part of a research team that developed new methods for the large-scale production, purification, and use of the radioisotope cerium-134, which...

Watch Jennifer Doudna's Nobel Prize award ceremony

December 4, 2020
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

For Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna, the highlight of this most extraordinary Nobel Prize Week was a socially distanced award ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 8, on her patio in Berkeley with 11 people in attendance, followed by takeout. But if the glow surronding her was any indication, she could have been receiving the medal and citation from the King of Sweden on the stage at Stockholm Concert Hall. The traditional celebration has been rescheduled for next year.

A videographer and photographer captured the intimate gathering with the highlight being the presentation of the Nobel gold...

UC Berkeley and Gladstone scientists develop new Covid-19 test

December 7, 2020
by Kara Manke | UC Berkeley Public Relations

image for lighting up covid test

In the diagnostic test, a patient sample is mixed with CRISPR Cas13 proteins (purple) and molecular probes (green) which fluoresce, or light up, when cut. When coronavirus RNA is present in the sample, it prompts the CRISPR proteins to snip the molecular probes, causing the whole sample to emit light. This fluorescence can be detected with a...

College of Chemistry announces lectureship in honor of professor William Lester

December 7, 2020
by David Villani | Daily Californian

William Lester

William Lester during his time at IBM. (photo: courtesy William Lester)

UC Berkeley’s College of Chemistry established a new lectureship for research from traditionally underrepresented scholars in honor of campus graduate professor William Lester.

Lester is a longtime campus faculty...

Peidong Yang and Sunjay Kumar named AAAS Fellows

November 30, 2020
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release

Sanjay Kurmar and Peidong Yang

Photo: Sanjay Kumar and Peidong Yang. (File photos UC Berkeley)

Congratulations to Professors Sanjay Kumar and Peidong Yang on being elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of the world’s largest scientific societies. The distinction was awarded this year to 489 scientists, engineers and innovators for...