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 the vast majority of experimental data. This realization led him to develop what he now calls “data chemistry,” a machine‑learning–driven approach that predicts chemical reactions with far fewer experiments. His recent Nature paper demonstrates that these models can forecast new reactions using only sparse published data.

Sigman emphasizes that understanding why reactions work matters just as much as predicting them. “The why and how of reactions are super important to my interests,” he explains, noting that his group’s mathematical descriptions of molecules capture the precise moment when bonds form.

After nearly three decades at the University of Utah, Sigman credits collaboration, mentoring, and intentional experimentation as the foundation of his work. He remains thoughtful about the role of AI in chemistry, acknowledging both its promise and its uncertainties.

Sigman now joins five other distinguished colleagues in the Department of Chemistry who are members of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences: Cynthia J. Burrows, Shelley Minteer, Valeria Molinero, Dale Poulter, Peter Stang, and Henry S. White.

Read the full interview with Matt Sigman by David Pace from the College of Science.

Read more about the research in Sigman Lab here.

May 12, 2026