The University of Chicago Department of Chemistry is proud to announce that Professor Guangbin Dong has been awarded the 2026 Janssen Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis. shorturl.at/SoXIh
#UChicago #UChiChemistry #JanssenPrize #OrganicSynthesis #GuangbinDong #SkeletalEditing #Chemistry
Devleena Samanta presents plaque to Yamuna Krishnan.
We were honored to host Yamuna Krishnan of the University of Chicago as a Centennial Visiting Lectureship in Chemistry speaker.
"All of these things frighten me, and they should frighten you as well. I made the decision to create a life for myself here, because I viewed this as a place that rewarded determination, hard work, and integrity. It still has a chance to be that place again."
open.substack.com/pub/ofthebra...
New from UChicago: A nature-inspired blueprint for carbon recycling.
Using iron-sulfur clusters, the Anderson & Gagliardi groups created a stable catalyst that turns CO₂ into fuel precursors using only electricity—no expensive additives needed.
Full study in JACS: shorturl.at/ScDRO
Seminar flyer with headshot of Dr. Talapin and abstract. Abstract text: Low-dimensional materials, including nanocrystals and atomically thin two-dimensional sheets, effectively bridge the gap between bulk solids and molecules. These materials have advanced significantly in recent years, largely due to their potential for real-world applications. I will discuss the integration of concepts from solid-state chemistry, molecular chemistry, and nanotechnology toward development of novel functional materials. For example, we expanded the range of synthesizable quantum dots by developing a new class of colloidal systems-colloids in molten inorganic salts. Using molten salts, we successfully synthesized the first colloidal emissive GaAs and GaN quantum dots, as well as various other functional nanomaterials previously dubbed impossible to synthesize by colloidal methods. In another example, we combined principles from solid state and molecular chemistry to advance two dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides, known as MXenes. These materials combine the robust electronic and mechanical properties of inorganic 20 crystals with nearly limitless molecular engineering of their surface chemistry. Understanding MXene surfaces requires concepts from coordination chemistry, self assembled monolayers, and surface science. We demonstrate that MXene surfaces actively contribute to the materials' conductivity, superconductivity, and catalytic activity.
Dr. Son and Dr. Altman are hosting a Physical and Inorganic Seminar today, at 11:30 AM in CHEM 2104, featuring Dr. Dmitri Talapin of the University of Chicago. Dr. Talapin's seminar is titled, "Exploring Different Intersections of Solid-State and Molecular Chemistry".
The "manual era" of quantum chemistry is officially hitting the history books. 📚💥
A new Chemical Reviews publication from the Gagliardi Group synthesizes years of pioneering research into a single vision for the future of molecular modeling.
Link: shorturl.at/rZKs0
Academic family photo from the ACS in Atlanta. Celebrating Jonas (ACS Inorganic Chemistry Award) and John @jsandersonlab.bsky.social (Harry Gray Award)... plus the feats of Francois @francoisgabbai.bsky.social (ACS Organometallic), Josh (Cotton), and Akif (Bader) at the one party to rule 'em all!
Thanks! All the props go to Spela and @annawuttig.bsky.social!
Excited to share the groups most recent cluster based work by first-author Linh Le, and collaboratively with @annawuttig.bsky.social and @gagliardilaura.bsky.social groups. Iron-sulfur clusters can serve as direct electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide reduction!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
My lab’s next paper is out in JACS! Congrats to Taemin and Ching who discovered that Brønsted acids unlock mild interfacial catalytic halogen atom transfer at Ag electrodes!
pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...
Join us Friday for Prof. Chris Uyeda (Purdue)! He’ll discuss groundbreaking catalytic transfer of non-stabilized carbenes & metal-metal bonds—essential for the future of drug discovery.
🗓️ April 3 | 12:45 PM
📍 Kent 120
We are incredibly proud to celebrate Professors John S. Anderson and Dmitri Talapin at the ACS Spring 2026 National Meeting & Exposition in Atlanta. These two represent the very best of innovation in the chemical sciences. Join us in congratulating these two on their well-deserved recognition! 👏
Woohoo! Can't wait to see the Laorenza lab down the hall from us
The Sarah B. King Group and partners are turning perovskite fragility into a design tool. By using light to "unzip" 2D crystals into circuits, they can now "write" precise nanoscale patterns directly into stable, eco-friendly architectures
🔗 Read more in Nano Letters: shorturl.at/EKx2H
We are excited to share that Prof. Ka Yee C. Lee has been appointed dean of the University of Chicago’s Physical Sciences Division. Lee has served as interim dean since February 2024.
news.uchicago.edu/story/ka-yee...
Honoring the legacy of Karl F. Freed (1942–2026). A titan who decoded molecular complexity, mentored Nobel laureates, and shaped the foundations of theoretical chemistry for 50+ years at the University of Chicago.
Read the full remembrance: shorturl.at/APz0x
#UChicagoChem #ChemLegacy #KarlFreed
Prof. Laura Gagliardi is currently featured in the Women in Energy exhibit at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry! Housed in the historic rotunda, this tribute highlights the leaders shaping our energy future. Visit this March to celebrate #WomensHistoryMonth and the future of #WomenInSTEM.
High-energy science alert Leslie M. Schoop (Princeton) visits @uchicago.edu this Fri (2/27) to talk Quantum Materials. ⚛️
Congrats Vennela Mannava and Joel Gardner!
By varying the electron donicity of the peripheral substituents on cobalt phthalocyanine, demonstrated that metal-hydrogen BDFE, rather than catalyst E(1/2), is the primary parameter that governs the HER activity of adsorbed molecular electrocatalysts.
We know him!
Aaron Rossini of Iowa State and Ames National Laboratory with the nuclear magnetic resonance instrument in his Hach Hall lab. Iowa State University/Christopher Gannon
Science Briefing: High magnetic fields reveal atom-level structures of drugs, materials. Iowa State's Aaron Rossini has developed solid-state NMR methods that are helping design better drugs, catalysts and semiconductors www.news.iastate.edu/news/science... #NMRchat #NMR 🧲
Woohoo @annawuttig.bsky.social!
We are pleased to share that Assistant Professor Anna Wuttig has been named a 2026 Sloan Research Fellow! 🏆
This honor from the Sloan Foundation recognizes early-career scientists with the potential to revolutionize their fields.
#UChicago #Chemistry #SloanFellow #Electrochemistry #WomenInSTEM
Congratulations to Prof. Bozhi Tian—recipient of the 2026 Marian and Stuart Rice Research Award for pioneering new ways to control biology with chemistry, semiconductors, and electrochemistry. Discover his groundbreaking work: physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article...
Celebrating 20 years of @UChicago Fulbright excellence! 🎓
Chemistry alum Lucas Berard (SB '25) is in Vienna using synthetic chemistry to silence superbugs. 🧪🇦🇹
Read how our graduates are synthesizing the future: lnkd.in/gR6HS-35
#UChicago #Fulbright #STEM
Privileged to get to work with this fantastic group of female scientists this international day of women and girls in science as well as every day.
Congratulations to Professor Bozhi Tian on receiving the 2026 Marian and Stuart Rice Research Award! Designed to support innovative research ventures, this $100,000 award recognizes Professor Tian’s groundbreaking work in bioelectronic medicine. physicalsciences.uchicago.edu/news/article...
Congratulations to Justin Caram (UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry), Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar, on receiving an inaugural Research Corporation for Science Advancement Bridge Award!
www.chemistry.ucla.edu/news/justin-caram-receiv...
Welcome back PhD alum Sergey Pronin (’10) this Friday! The UC Irvine professor returns to Kent 120 (12:45pm) to share his latest work in synthesis.
events.uchicago.edu/chem/event/2...
Honored to be featured by ChemSci! I always love reviewing and try my hardest to make sure my reviews are of high quality (which has definitely been a learning process).