Awards – Department of Chemistry

Michael Grünwald Receives the University of Utah Distinguished Teaching Award

Michael Grünwald, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Utah, has been honored with the University Distinguished Teaching Award, recognizing his sustained excellence in teaching, mentoring, curriculum development, and commitment to student learning. A faculty member in the Department of Chemistry, Grünwald is widely known for his research in molecular simulation, nanoscience, and crystallization. […]

May 12, 2026

Matt Sigman Elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Categories: Awards, Faculty, History, Research

Matthew Sigman, Distinguished Professor and Peter J. Christine S. Stang Presidential Endowed Chair of Chemistry, has been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honorary societies. In an article by David Pace, Sigman reflects on the early insight that shaped his career: scientists were overlooking […]

May 12, 2026

Connor Ambrose and Kenny Drbohlav NSF Recognition

Categories: Awards, Research, Students

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 […]

April 29, 2026

2026 Chemistry Awards

Categories: Awards, History

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 […]

April 20, 2026

Gabe Nagy Receives the 2026 ACS Arthur F. Findeis Award for Achievements by a Young Analytical Scientist

Categories: Awards, Faculty, Research

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 […]

March 26, 2026

Luisa Whittaker-Brooks Receives RCSA Bridge Award

Categories: Awards, Faculty

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-career scientists doing high-potential […]

February 10, 2026

U Chemists Receive Founders of the Year Award

Categories: Awards

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 […]

October 16, 2025

2025 Distinguished Alumni Awards

Categories: Alumni, Awards

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 […]

October 2, 2025

Postdoc Mike Pence Awarded NSF Research Fellowship

Categories: Awards

Dr. Michael Pence, a University of Utah Chemistry postdoc co-advised by Professor Shelley Minteer and Professor Long Luo, recently received the prestigious 2025 NSF Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowship (NSF MPS-Ascend) to conduct a program of research and activities related to broadening participation in STEM. This fellowship awarded to Michael will support his […]

August 4, 2025

Dr. Sanaz Habibi Awarded Stockham Medal

Categories: Awards, Students

Congratulations to Dr. Sanaz Habibi, recent Chemistry PhD graduate, on being awarded the 2025 Thomas G. Stockham Medal for Conspicuously Effective Teaching! The Stockham Medal for Conspicuously Effective Teaching is awarded to one university student a year in recognition of exceptional teaching achievement. Students are nominated by their faculty advisors or mentors and winners of […]

July 18, 2025