News

Chris Orvig awarded a 2013 Jacob Biely Research Prize for distinguished record of published research

Congratulations to Professor Chris Orvig for being awarded the 2013 Jacob Biely Research Prize, UBC’s highest honour for research.

The 2014 reception will be held Tuesday, March 11 in the Glass Lobby of the Chan Centre.

How a versatile gut bacterium helps us get our daily dietary fibre

University of British Columbia researchers have discovered the genetic machinery that turns a common gut bacterium into the Swiss Army knife of the digestive tract – helping us metabolize a main component of dietary fibre from the cell walls of fruits and vegetables.

The findings illuminate the specialized roles played by key members of the vast microbial community living in the human gut, and could inform the development of tailored microbiota transplants to improve intestinal...

Chemistry gets a new website

We are excited to present a completely new Chemistry website!

The website was developed from scratch and built to take advantage of the latest in website development technology. It will offer researchers, alumni and students alike easy access to the most important information and perfect functionality on mobile devices across different platforms. Try the superb search capabilities offered under the "Our department" and "Research & Faculty" tabs!

The website was developed...

The Department Mourns the Sudden Passing of Our Colleague Moshe Shapiro

Moshe Shapiro, who was a research pioneer in the area of quantum control of molecular dynamics, passed away on December 3, 2013 in Israel. He was 69 years old.

Moshe did his PhD under the guidance of Professor Raphael D. Levine, in Theoretical Chemistry at the Hebrew University, working on photodissociation and molecular collisions. This was followed by a postdoc at Harvard University during the years 1970-1972, where Moshe worked with Martin Karplus, the 2013 Nobel laureate in...

Laurel Schafer awarded a 2013 Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring

Congratulations to Professor Laurel Schafer who was recently awarded a 2013 Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring. The award recognizes research supervisors who have provided sustained mentorship to numerous graduate students while researching at the mid-career level. Furthermore, the Killam Award for Excellence in Mentoring is quite unique among other faculty awards, as statements provided by referees, such as past and present students, are highly regarded in the nomination process.

Chemistry Graduate Student Awarded 2013 NSERC Vanier Scholarship

Chemistry graduate student, Marcus Drover, was recently awarded a 2013 NSERC Vanier Scholarship for his project, entitled “Understanding Acetylene: Alkyne Functionalization via a Rhodium(I) Complex.” A vast number of chemical compounds contain nitrogen, including those required for everyday life e.g., amino and nucleic acids. In a laboratory setting, these chemicals are often generated through synthesis. Unfortunately, many synthetic procedures are replete with non-efficient, toxic...

Laurel Schafer launches CREATE Sustainable Synthesis program

UBC Chemistry Professor Laurel Schafer was recently awarded funding for a 2013 Industrial Collaborative Research and Training Experience (CREATE) Program in the area of Sustainable Synthesis.

Considering UBC for graduate school? Consider applying for the NSERC CGS-M.

http://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/students-etudiants/pg-cs/cgsm-bescm_eng.asp

Please contact any member of our recruitment committee for assistance on this competitive fellowship opportunity. The application deadline is December 1, 2013.

Michael Wolf and “Prometheus ” Collaborators featured in ACCN

Dr. Michael Wolf (UBC), along with Dr. Neil Branda (SFU) and Dr. Alexandre Brolo (UVic) were featured in the September/October 2013 issue of ACCN to highlight their collaborative project, “Prometheus”. The Prometheus Project is aimed at bridging gaps between academia and industry in such as way to make BC a global leader in materials science and engineering. For more information about the Prometheus Project please refer to the ACCN article, found ...

Positions Available: UBC Chemistry

UBC Chemistry is currently looking to fill several positions in the department.

Refer here for more information

UBC Chemistry! You're invited to the PerkinElmer INspiring INovation Tour

The IN Tour is a North American PerkinElmer hosted road show that is an excellent opportunity for students and faculty to learn about new analytical chemistry applications and technologies. There is no charge for attending the event and it is open to all industry, government and academic organizations. It is a great networking event for people interested in learning about the Lower Mainland scientific community. More info and registration can be found here: ...

Graduate Student, Angela Crane, Brings Chemistry to Rural Northern BC

In May 2013 Graduate Student, Angela Crane, travelled 'up-north' to the rural community of Fort Nelson, BC (population ~4000) to bring her passion for chemsitry to local schools and community centers. See the full article about her journey on the Faculty of Science website located here.

Ryan and Andersen labs make cover of Chemistry & Biology

A paper entitled “N-Carbamoylation of 2,4-Diaminobutyrate Reroutes the Outcome in Padanamide Biosynthesis” has been highlighted and featured as the front cover artwork in the August issue of Chemistry & Biology. The article, authored by Yi-Ling Du, Doralyn S. Dalisay, Raymond J. Andersen, and Katherine S. Ryan, interrogates the biosynthetic route to the highly modified linear peptides padanamides A and B. These molecules have several chemical features that are unprecedented in...

Mark MacLachlan awarded the 2013 Rutherford Medal in Chemistry

Congratulations to Dr. Mark MacLachlan of the UBC Chemistry Department who has been awarded the 2013 Rutherford Medal in Chemistry by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

Yoshikata Koga and co-workers make cover of Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics

A paper entitled “1-Propanol probing methodology: two-dimensional characterization of the effect of solute on H₂O” has been highlighted and featured as the back cover artwork in a September issue of Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics.

UBC Chemistry Post-Doctoral Fellows Receive 2013 MSFHR Trainee Awards

Congratulations to Dr. Yi-Ling Du and Dr. Zhizeng Gao on receiving a 2013 Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Trainee Award in the Biomedical Division. The awards were granted for the following projects:

Project: Harnessing natural product biosynthetic machinery

Project: Fight flu with mechanism-based covalent neuraminidase inhibitors

Prof. Mehrkhodavandi featured in ACCN article: "The Many Faces of Bioplastics"

Congratulations to Dr. Parisa Mehrkhodavandi and her research group, who's work regarding the catalytic synthesis of stereoblock polylactide (PLA) as biodegradable plastic with enhanced properties has been highlighted in the featured article "The Many Faces of Bioplastics" in the July/August 2013 issue of ACCN Canadian Chemical News.

To read the full article, please click here...

Congratulations! UBC Graduate Students receive presentation awards at 2013 CSC in Quebec City

Congratulations to the following graduate students who received honours at the 2013 Canadian Society for Chemistry 96th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Quebec City, QC.

In Memoriam: Celebrating Dr. Bruce Todd

Dr. Bruce Todd, who passed away suddenly in November 2012, joined the UBC Chemistry Department in 1990 as a Killam Post-Doctoral Fellow.

Help Joanna Moore, Science One Graduate, Set Sail for the Olympics!

Joanna Moore, a Science One Graduate, and her sailing partner Alexa Edgar are having a fundraiser to support their North American sailing campaign enroute to the Olympics! The fundraiser, on June 20^th, 2013, includes a silent auction, a raffle, and a BBQ at the Eagle Harbour Yacht Club. Details can be found by clicking here. To RSVP to the event click...

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