Professor J. Ilja Siepmann named inaugural Thomas Allen Gregory Chair in Physical Chemistry
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (10/23/2025) – Department of Chemistry Professor J. Ilja Siepmann has been named the inaugural Thomas Allen Gregory Chair in Physical Chemistry. The honorary position—made possible through a generous endowed gift from alumni Françoise deRochefort Thompson and Thomas “Tom” Allen Gregory, a 1965 chemistry graduate—is the department’s first for physical chemistry.
Siepmann, a member of the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry faculty since 1994, leads a research program at the leading edge of theoretical physical chemistry. His research focuses on particle-based simulations of complex chemical systems. This includes predicting phase, sorption, and reaction equilibria; determining thermophysical properties; understanding retention in chromatography; and investigating microheterogeneous fluids and nucleation phenomena. The work aims to advance the capabilities of molecular simulations through the development of efficient Monte Carlo algorithms and transferable force fields.
Over the course of his career, Siepmann has co-authored over 300 research articles, reviews, and conference articles that have been cited more than 32,000 times. His research has produced collaborations with more than 25 UMN faculty members from Chemistry, Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Earth Sciences, and Pharmacy. In addition to his primary research, Siepmann served as director of the multi-university Nanoporous Materials Genome Center—funded and renewed by the U.S. Department of Energy—from 2014 to 2023. Since 2021, he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data.
For his contributions to the profession, Siepmann has been previously honored with a number of recognitions: fellowship of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (2018), the Yeram S. Touloukian Award from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2018), fellowship of the American Physical Society (2013), the UMN Distinguished University Teaching Professorship (2011), and the UMN Distinguished McKnight University Professorship (2006).
The endowed chair was created through the generosity of Françoise Thompson and Tom Gregory. Thompson, a former French and Spanish teacher, holds a master’s degree in French from UMN. The fund was established to honor Gregory’s remarkable life and scientific achievements. Gregory earned his B.S. degree and completed postdoctoral research in the Department of Chemistry before embarking on an exceptional career marked by many patents, inventions, and scholarly publications.
“Tom, highly gifted, accomplished, and kind, with an intense interest in the universe around him, shared his talents generously with others and for the benefit of mankind,” said Thompson. “He inspired the establishment of the chair to encourage accomplished scientists and faculty at the University of Minnesota who, for generations to come, will advance a deeper understanding of our world."
The Department of Chemistry is grateful for the continued support of Gregory and Thompson, passionate supporters of the department who also made a lead gift establishing the Gregory-Thompson floor in the new Chemistry Undergraduate Teaching Laboratories Building. Their ongoing partnership with the department exemplifies the vital role of alumni in sustaining Chemistry’s excellence in teaching, research, and innovation.