Department of Chemistry

Two rising researchers in the University of Utah’s Department of Chemistry—Connor Ambrose and Kenny Drbohlav, both students in the Luo Lab at the University of Utah Chemistry—have earned national recognition through the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP), one of the nation’s most competitive and respected awards for early-career scientists. The NSF [&#8230…

On April 15, 2026, we held the annual Awards Ceremony to celebrate our students, faculty, and staff. It was a celebration of hard work and the outstanding contributions of the Department of Chemistry. Guest Speaker: Victor Gill, Founder & CEO of Trace Air Quality Victor Gill and his family established the Gurmail Gill Legacy Endowed Scholarship […]

The University of Utah Department of Chemistry hosted Professor Hanadi Sleiman of McGill University on March 19, 2026, as the 2026 Stang‑- Burrows‑- Sessler Lecturer. Sleiman, an internationally recognized leader in nucleic acid nanotechnology, brought her pioneering research to campus as part of the department’s most distinguished annual event. Her visit continues a tradition of celebrating bold…

The University of Utah Department of Chemistry is proud to announce that Professor Gabe Nagy has been selected as the 2026 recipient of the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry’s Arthur F. Findeis Award for Achievements by a Young Analytical Scientist, sponsored by Altria. This prestigious national award recognizes outstanding early‑career scientists who have already made exceptional contribution…

The Journal of Physical Chemistry B published “From Flux to Function: Extracting Mechanistic Insights from Ion Channels via I–V and I–μ Analyses” by Hannah Weckel-Dahman, Ryan Carlsen, Alexander Daum, and Jessica M. J. Swanson The molecular origins of ion-channel current–voltage (I–V) relationships are often unclear, obscured by ensemble averaging in experimental analysis and persistent underesti…

Drug discovery is like molecular Tetris. Chemists snap atoms together, adjusting the pieces until everything fits and suddenly, a molecule makes a promising new medicine. Normally, creating better molecules consumes huge amounts of time and money. In a new study, researchers used machine learning to build a smarter prediction system that could speed up the process at a fraction of the cost. “Some…

David Hickey returned to the University of Utah’s Department of Chemistry this week to share new research at the forefront of molecular electrochemistry. Hickey, now an assistant professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at Michigan State University, completed his postdoctoral training at the U, and his seminar marked a homecoming that highlighted both scientific progress and the de…

Research Corporation for Science Advancement has awarded $800,000 to 11 Cottrell Scholars, including U Chemistry Professor Luisa Whittaker-Brooks, through its RCSA Bridge Awards. This emergency initiative will help stabilize strong research programs that have experienced disruptions due to abrupt changes to their federal funding. “The Bridge awards provide critical continuity to outstanding early…

On January 29th, the Chemistry Department hosted our first Facilities Open House, where we showcased nine of our state-of-the-art facilities, including: Mass spectrometry services our research communities by providing mass spectrometry or LCMS analysis for synthetic organic molecules, biomolecules, and natural products. They are available for consultation on mass spectrometry experiment design, m…

For the Chemistry Department's first IBAC seminar of the spring semester, we were joined by Alum Kirk M. Ririe, who was recently inducted into the Utah Technology Council Hall of Fame, and now serves on the Board of Trustees of the Utah Technology Council. IBAC (Interfacial and Bioanalytical Chemistry) at the University of Utah provides a unique focus for graduate education in the Department of C…

Earlier this January, the Chemistry Department welcomed Sarah Lefave as an Assistant Professor Lecturer. Dr. Lefave joined us after completing her Ph.D. and working as a lab manager here at U Chemistry. We're thrilled to have Sarah continue her career with us as a Professor! After moving to Utah over a decade ago, Sarah completed her Ph.D. (2021) at the University of Utah, with research focused o…

Catalyst is the annual magazine of the University of Utah Department of Chemistry. This year, it highlights the people and research shaping our community — from stories on faculty achievements and cutting-edge graduate research to undergraduate student spotlights, notable alumni, department awards and honors, and more. As we celebrate the season, the Department of Chemistry extends heartfelt wish…

Now in his 50th year on the faculty of the Department of Chemistry, Joel Harris will retire from the U on January 1, 2026. Joel arrived at the University of Utah on August 12, 1976, only 4 days after defending his dissertation at Purdue University. He was the first analytical chemist appointed to the faculty […]

Distinguished Alumni 2025: Dr Hyung Kyu Shin By David Pace, College of Science writer At 92, Hyung Kyu Shin still leaves home at 6:45 a.m. and arrives at his University of Nevada, Reno office at 7 a.m. every morning, a routine unchanged for decades. "My wife complains," he says with a smile, acknowledging the unconventional […]

Distinguished Alumni 2025: Dr Sally Hunnicutt By David Pace, College of Science writer The path Sally Hunnicutt MS’86 took to becoming a 2025 Distinguished Alumna of the University of Utah's Department of Chemistry began with a simple childhood pastime. "I used to pretend to be a teacher with a chalkboard," she recalls. That early passion […]

Distinguished Alumni 2025: Dr Mike Hunnicutt By David Pace, College of Science writer For Mike Hunnicutt, professor emeritus at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), creating a memorable footprint in the field of chemistry has involved a multitude of serendipitous encounters with individuals, all of whom had one thing in common: their show of enduring interest in […]

Congratulations to Vahe Bandarian and Karsten Eastman on receiving the Founders of the Year award! Eastman completed his Ph.D. in 2023 in the lab of U Chemistry professor Vahe Bandarian. The pair launched Sethera Theraputics last year to commercialize their discoveries made at the university with funding from the National Institutes of Health. Their efforts […]

On Wednesday, September 10th, the University of Department of Chemistry hosted the first Chemistry Night at the Natural History Museum of Utah. In collaboration with NHMU and the NSF Center for Synthetic Organic Electrochemistry, the Chemistry Department invited the community to spend an evening in the museum participating in exciting experiments and explosive demonstrations. Thanks […]

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Utah established the Distinguished Chemistry Alumni Awards in 2011 to recognize and honor our most prominent and successful alumni. We celebrated three of our outstanding alumni on September 29, 2025 in the Department of Chemistry. The awardees held seminars and visited faculty and students in the […]

Repost from the College of Science September 22, 2025 Above: The pop art-inspired illustration highlights a new light-up RNA aptamer called Golden Broccoli that was developed through structure-based design. Golden Broccoli: U biochemists create the world’s first single-dyed ratiometric biosensor for glycine imaging. “Glycine has many important roles. It’s an important neurotransmitter that regula…