Ambika Bhagi-Damodaran receives Jonathan L. Sessler Fellowship from the American Chemical Society
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (12/13/2023) – Assistant Professor Ambika Bhagi-Damodaran has been recently awarded the Jonathan L. Sessler Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Bioinorganic and Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award recognizes emerging leaders in bioinorganic and medicinal inorganic chemistry.
This marks the third major award Bhagi-Damodaran has received within the calendar year. She was also awarded with the McKnight Land-Grant Professorship from the University of Minnesota and the Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement in early 2023.
Bhagi-Damodaran and her research group are working towards the development of molecular approaches to modulate biological functions of iron enzymes to address long-standing challenges in health and energy. Some of their most recent research uncovered how electrostatics control active site assembly and reactivity in iron enzymes that directly halogenate small molecules. The real-world applications of the lab’s research include shorter treatment strategies for tuberculosis and chemo-resistant cancer and eco-friendly alternatives for industrial chemical synthesis. The Bhagi-Damodaran group is made up of 11 researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
Bhagi-Damodaran says she is excited to receive this award: “I am grateful for receiving this award that recognizes the most promising early career scientists in the field of bioinorganic and medicinal inorganic chemistry. Prof. Katherine Franz from Duke University was gracious in nominating me for the award and I am thankful to her for doing so. The interdisciplinary nature of the bio/medicinal inorganic chemistry field means that the problems that are being tackled are really challenging but super important from human health and environmental perspective. So, it's very important to recognize young people in the field who have begun tackling these challenges in their independent scientific career and I think the award does a great job at that. I am even more excited to be named a Jon Sessler fellow because I have followed Jon's career for a long time, he is a role model to me. The creativity and innovation in Jon's research has inspired numerous scientists like me.”
The Jonathan L. Sessler Endowed Fund for Emerging Leaders in Bioinorganic and Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry was established in 2020 to provide recognition to early-career researchers in the bioinorganic and medicinal inorganic chemistry community. Only one tenure-track chemist is selected for the award each year. As a Sessler Fellow, Bhagi-Damodaran will receive an honorarium, an engraved plaque, and travel sponsorship for the ACS Meeting at which she will organize a symposium and present her research. She is the first University of Minnesota faculty member to receive the award.