Department News
Department News
Safia Jilani awarded Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship
Posted June 2, 2023
Dr. Safia Jilani, a postdoctoral associate in Professor Christy Haynes’ lab, has been awarded the prestigious Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. The fellowship – which provides support for scholars and future professors to use inclusion and diversity to improve the student experience in higher education – will support Safia and her research for one year.

SGC graduate students awarded UMN Systemwide Sustainability Collaborative Team Impact Award
Posted June 1, 2023
The graduate students of the Sustainable and Green Chemistry (SGC) Committee have been awarded the 2023 University of Minnesota Systemwide Sustainability Collaborative Team Impact Award. The award recognizes student collaborations from all campuses who have made significant contributions to UMN and local communities in helping create a more sustainable and just future.

Four Chemistry graduate students awarded Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships
Posted May 12, 2023
Four Chemistry graduate students have been awarded 2023-24 Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships (DDF). The awardees are Beza Tuga, Erin Plasek, Rachel Rapagnani, and Shelby Auger.

Undergraduate junior Ethan Ashbrook named a 2023 Goldwater Scholar
Posted May 9, 2023
Chemistry undergraduate student Ethan Ashbrook has been named a 2023 Goldwater Scholar. Ethan is a junior in the University of Minnesota Chemistry BS program working with Professor Ian Tonks.

Rene Boiteau joins Department of Chemistry faculty
Posted May 4, 2023
The Department of Chemistry will welcome Rene Boiteau as an Assistant Professor in fall 2023. Boiteau has been a faculty member at Oregon State University since 2018, with a joint appointment in the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s Environmental Molecular Sciences Division.

Jessica Hoover joins Department of Chemistry faculty
Posted April 28, 2023
The Department of Chemistry will welcome Professor Jessica Hoover to the faculty in fall 2023. Hoover joins the University of Minnesota from West Virginia University, where she has been a faculty member since 2012.

Chemistry Diversity and Inclusion Committee debuts DEI Self-Study program
Posted April 26, 2023
The Department of Chemistry Diversity & Inclusion Committee is introducing a new self-study program for the University of Minnesota Chemistry community. The program encourages students, faculty, and staff to engage with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) lessons and stories through a variety of multimedia resources.

Five students receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowships
Posted April 12, 2023
Five students connected to the Department of Chemistry community have received fellowships in the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Fellowship recipients are Alison Block, Clare Froehlich, Maggie Kumler, Dani Rodriguez, and Fabian Williams.

Professor Christy Haynes named new head of the Department of Chemistry
Posted April 5, 2023
College of Science and Engineering Dean Andrew Alleyne has named Distinguished McKnight University Professor Christy Haynes as the next head of the Chemistry department. She will start in the role in summer 2023.

Regents Professor Donald Truhlar awarded Joseph O. Hirschfelder Prize in Theoretical Chemistry
Posted February 27, 2023
Regents Professor Donald Truhlar has been awarded the Joseph O. Hirschfelder Prize in Theoretical Chemistry. The internationally-recognized award is given by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Theoretical Chemistry Institute.