Zlatko Bačić, is a professor of chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, NYU. Zlatko Bačić received his B.S. from the University of Zagreb and his Ph.D. from the University of Utah Department of Chemistry with Professor Jack Simons. Professor Bačić work includes research of theoretical and computational chemistry, quantum treatment of the dynamics and spectroscopy of molecules in nanoporous materials and on solid surfaces, vibrational spectra of fluxional molecular systems of biological interest, and weakly bound molecular clusters. He is also the founding director of the new Simons Center for Computational Physical Chemistry at NYU established in 2021.

Amy Barrios, is a medicinal chemist working as a professor of Medicinal Chemistry and the Associate Dean for Postdoctoral Affairs at the University of Utah. On August 16, 2019, the Graduate School appointed Professor Amy Barrios, Department of Medicinal Chemistry (College of Pharmacy), the new Associate Dean of Postdoctoral Affairs in the Graduate School. Amy M. Barrios graduated from the University of Utah with a bachelor’s in chemistry in 1995, followed by a Ph.D. in 2000 from MIT and a postdoc from the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco.

Mitchell Johnson, is the Executive Vice President at General Plastics Manufacturing Company responsible for developing the company’s strategic growth platforms, focusing on developing new products and new applications of its current products. Johnson earned his doctorate from the University of Utah Department of Chemistry with Professor Joel Miller. He pursued post-doctoral studies at Los Alamos National Laboratory, studying organometallic and lanthanide chemistry.

Roger Leach, retired from DuPont two years ago after a very successful 36-year career starting at the Experimental Station in Wilmington, DE. Roger was the Technical Senior Manager and Leader of the Science & Innovation Core Analytical Sciences organization. After relocating to the San Diego area, Roger joined Viridos, as their Director of Analytical Sciences, which is developing genomically engineered, industry-leading algal strains as lipid feedstock for second-generation renewable diesel and aviation biofuels. Leach received his Ph.D. 1984 from the University of Utah Department of Chemistry with Professor Joel Harris.

2023 was a big year for our department, starting off with a $1 million grant to U chemists. Michael Grünwald, Ryan Looper and Rodrigo Noriega, of the University of Utah Department of Chemistry, received a $1 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation funding studies of currently unpredictable aspects of the process of crystallization. Following this, University of Utah professors Vahe Bandarian, Eric W. Schmidt and Jennifer S. Shumaker-Parry are among the 506 newly-elected Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers.

On March 6, 2023, Valeria Molinero received the American Physical Society Irving Langmuir Award in Chemical Physics. Read here about Professor Molinero’s award. Mr. Kevin Teaford from U Chemistry had been chosen to receive the society’s highest award, The J. Allen Alexander Award. Luisa Whittaker-Brooks, associate professor of inorganic/materials chemistry, is the recipient of the 2023 MRS Outstanding Early Career Investigator Award for cutting-edge work on the control of structural phase transitions, spins, and thermal-dependent electronic interactions in organic-inorganic quantum well heterostructures. Matthew Sigman was the recipient of the 2023’s Patai-Rappoport Lecture Award for his major contributions in physical organic chemistry, data science and enantioselective catalysis. The 2023 SAS Undergraduate Award in Applied Spectroscopy was given to Clista Galecki, a senior undergraduate student working in the Harris Lab. We also had two of our own students win the 2023 FACSS Student Poster: Joshua Taylor and Maran Sardoni. Aric Potter, an undergraduate student in the Harris lab, wins an EAS Undergraduate Student Research Award at the Eastern Analytical Symposium in Plainsboro, NJ!  Finally, multiple of our professors were ranked 2023 best chemists on research.com.

We had a successful 2023 Graduation. The Department of Chemistry graduated 15 Ph.D. Candidates, 4 Masters in Science, and 85 Bachelors in Chemistry and Biochemistry. And we had a successful Distinguished Alumni Awards, the first one sense COVID-19. Our four awardees were Zlatko Bačić , Dr. Amy M. Barrios, Mitchell Johnson, and Roger Leach. To wrap it all up our 2023 Catalyst was a huge success!