The Roberts Group is developing stategies that enable access to polycyclic aromatic molecules with applications in catalysis, materials (optical and electronic), and natural product synthesis. Over the last five years, they have developed chemical methods that enable synthetic access to polycyclic aromatic molecules with increasing numbers of rings. Toward systems with three rings, they developed […]
Read MoreMatthew 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 […]
Read MoreTwo 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 […]
Read MoreThe 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 […]
Read MoreThe 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 […]
Read MoreThe 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 cover “Unraveling how electrostatic gradients manifest in electrophysiological assays” was created by the Swanson Group. About the Cover: From flux to function: Voltage-responsive […]
Read MoreDrug 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 […]
Read MoreRepost 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 regulates things […]
Read MoreUniversity of Utah research associate Karsten Eastman, along with chemistry Professors Vahe Bandarian and Andrew Roberts, recently collaborated on a study that uncovered a powerful new way to build more stable and drug-like peptides, opening the door to medicines that could target diseases long considered “undruggable”. Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences […]
Read MoreBecause of its potent greenhouse properties, methane gas is a significant contributor to climate change. It also feeds microbes known as methanotrophs that convert the gas into carbon dioxide and biomass, but scientists have been unsure how these microbes get all the nutrients they need to accomplish this task. Now, a University of Utah chemistry lab has […]
Read More