Six UMN chemists earn Royal Society of Chemistry Dalton Horizon Prize

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (7/18/2025) – Through an intercontinential academic partnership, Regents Professor Emeritus Larry Que, four Que group alumni, and Dr. Victor Young have earned the the prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Dalton Horizon Prize. The award celebrates discoveries and innovations that push the boundaries of science.  

The team studied how certain iron-based enzymes work, especially how they use iron and oxygen to change carbon–hydrogen (C–H) bonds in other molecules. These enzymes can add things like hydroxyl groups or halogens to C–H bonds — a transformation that is very useful in both chemistry and biotechnology.

The awardees are:

• Faiza Ahsan, PhD student Swart Lab, Universitat de Girona
• Bittu Chandra, Postdoc Que Lab, University of Minnesota
• Abhishek Das, Postdoc Que Lab, University of Minnesota
• Yisong Guo, PI, Guo Lab, Carnegie Mellon University
• Mehmet Jahja, MSc Student, Visiting Swart Lab, Universitat de Girona
• Sami Mahri, MSc Student, Visiting Swart Lab, Universitat de Girona
• Nabhendu Pal, Postdoc Que Lab, University of Minnesota
• Lawrence Que Jr., PI, Que Lab, University of Minnesota
• Yuan Sheng, PhD student Que Lab, University of Minnesota
• Marcel Swart, PI, Swart Lab, ICREA and Universitat de Girona
• Jin Xiong, Postdoc Guo Lab, Carnegie Mellon University
• Victor G. Young, X-ray Crystallographic Laboratory Director, University of Minnesota

The group, which is an intercontinental collaboration between Spanish and American researchers, will receive a trophy, while each team member will also get their own special individual token. To help others learn from their experiences, they will also be the subjects of a special video showcasing the fruits of their labor.