News & Events

News

Congratulations to Greg Dake!

Congratulations to Dr. Greg Dake for the 2020 Science Excellence in Service Award. This award recognizes the exceptional service contributions of Science’s staff, students and faculty. The winners will be honoured at the upcoming Faculty of Science meeting in early March. Congratulations once again to Dr. Dake's outstanding contributions to the Faculty of Science!

Congratulations to Hongbin Li!

Dr. Hongbin Li has been elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. AAAS Fellows are elected each year by their peers on the organization's governing body. The title recognizes important contributions to STEM disciplines, including pioneering research, leadership within a given field, teaching and mentoring, fostering collaborations, and advancing public understanding of science. Hongbin will be inducted as Fellow in a virtual ceremony to be held in...

Congratulations to Allan Bertram!

Dr. Allan Bertram has been awarded the Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering for his work in climate research. Bertram is recognized alongside collaborators from the University of Toronto, Dalhousie University, Université Laval, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada as part of  NETCARE—the Network on Climate and Aerosols.

The Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering is...

The Department Mourns the Passing of Dr. David C. Walker

Dr. David C. Walker, Professor Emeritus, passed away on October 9th, 2020. He was 86 years old.

 

I feel privileged to write an obituary for David C. Walker, particularly because his pre-UBC years were remarkably similar to mine, and our 55 years in Vancouver overlapped significantly in ‘sports’. I thank Elliot Burnell and Don Fleming for their help in putting together this obituary from chemistry faculty friends, who all send their sincerest condolences to Gale and family...

Congratulations to Kudzi Nyamayaro!

PhD candidate, Kudzi Nyamayaro, has been awarded the Du Pont Canada Fellowship in pulp and paper. The Du Pont Canada Fellowship in pulp and paper has been endowed by Du Pont Canada Inc and the province of British Columbia. The award is offered to a graduate student undertaking research related to the pulp and paper industry.

Congratulations Kudzi!

 

Congratulations to David Perrin!

Dr. David Perrin has been funded by the CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) for his research into the development of non-toxic, drug-like products that can intercept the COVID virus. 

The Government of Canada is providing the funding for this research through CIHR and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), in partnership with Alberta Innovates (AI), Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR), Research Manitoba (RM), Research Nova Scotia (RNS),...

Congratulations Chemistry Class of 2020

Dear Class of 2020 Graduates

I am very excited to offer my sincere congratulations on your achievements and completion of your UBC degrees.  Your hard work and perseverance have finally culminated in your graduation.  You are part of the future, and it has never been clearer how large a role chemists and scientists will play in the future of society and our planet.  You can be extraordinarily proud of your many successes along the path to your degrees, and even though we are missing...

Congratulations to Rebecca Sherbo!

Rebecca Sherbo, a PhD graduate in the Berlinguette Group, has been selected as the doctoral recipient for the Governor General's Gold Medal within the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Gold medals are awarded to one masters and one doctoral student who has achieved the most outstanding academic record. 

Congratulations Rebecca!

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Statement on Anti-Racism

The last several weeks have seen worldwide protests once again calling attention to systemic racism.  The UBC Chemistry Department supports this movement against racism and injustice and acknowledges the struggle faced by racialized people every day.  We encourage all to listen to black and racialized voices, and to work towards a more just future.  We acknowledge that these inequities exist in our own Department, and we pledge to work to make our Department safe and accepting so that all...

Self-Driving Lab Demonstration Published in Science Advances

The Berlinguette and Hein Groups at UBC, in collaboration with the Aspuru-Guzik Group at the University of Toronto, have developed a self-driving laboratory to accelerate the R&D cycle for thin-film materials. The manuscript published today in Science Advances details their first demonstration of this self-driving laboratory, called “Ada”, for the development of materials used in advanced solar cells. 

This work is part of a multi-million dollar program funded by Natural Resources...

Congratulations to Erin Lindenberg

Dr. Erin Lindenberg has received a 2019-2020 UBC Killam Teaching Prize. Killam Teaching Prizes recognize outstanding contributions in teaching and the ability to motivate students and stimulate critical thinking, sustained teaching excellence, and development of innovative approaches to teaching methodology and curricula.

Congratulations Erin!

How UBC Chemistry is Adjusting to Remote Work under COVID-19

“I’m definitely itching to get back to the lab,” says Don Mayder (PhD candidate). Like other departments on campus, the physical spaces in the chemistry department are now closed. Classes moved online Friday, March 13th, and staff were asked to work from home on Tuesday, March 16th until further notice. Labs were asked to end experiments and close by the end of that same week. 

As students, faculty, and staff have since transitioned to working from home, they have had to make...

Dr. Wilma Ethel Elias Scholarship in Chemistry

Dr. Wilma Ethel Elias (1925-2018) was the first woman to obtain a PhD from the University of British Columbia. Thanks to a thoughtful and generous bequest from this distinguished alumna, the Dr. Wilma Ethel Elias Scholarship in Chemistry endowment has been established to provide scholarships for women studying chemistry at the graduate level.

Wilma Elias was born in Calgary, Alberta, in 1925. Her mother had been a school teacher, which may have perhaps inspired an interest in...

Chemistry Welcomes New Faculty Member Dr. Eva Nichols

The Department of Chemistry is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Eva Nichols as an Assistant Professor in the area of Inorganic Chemistry. She will join the department in August 2020.

Dr. Nichols completed her PhD in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkley, where she examined the role of second coordination sphere groups in promoting electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction and developed hybrid bio-materials platforms for artificial photosynthesis. She went on to a...

Chemistry Department Response to COVID-19

As of March 19, 2020, the department will be maintaining essential services only until further notice. Department members are working from home. Staff and faculty can still be reached via email during regular work hours here: http://chem.ubc.ca/people-directory.

 

For more detailed updates on COVID-19, please visit:

https://broadcastemail.ubc.ca/.

 

We...

Congratulations to Maria Cleveland and David Tonkin!

Congratulations to Maria Cleveland and David Tonkin for the 2020 Science Excellence in Service Award. This award recognizes the exceptional service contributions of Science’s staff, students and faculty. Maria and David were presented this award at the Faculty of Science meeting on March 4, 2020. Congratulations once again on their outstanding contributions to the Faculty of Science!

Chemistry Welcomes New Faculty Member Dr. Jolene Reid

The Department of Chemistry is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jolene Reid as an assistant professor in the area of Machine Learning in Chemistry. She will join the department on July 1st.

Dr. Reid received her PhD in chemistry from the University of Cambridge and is currently an NSF Marie Curie fellow working at the University of Utah on combining machine learning with statistical and computational techniques in modeling molecular structure effects on experimental outcomes...

Congratulations to Laurel Schafer!

Professor Laurel Schafer has been selected for the Society of Chemical Industry LeSueur Memorial Award. This award is presented for development of technical excellence, in either a university, industrial setting or research institution in Canada, which is of benefit to Canada in an industry that is based on Chemistry.

Congratulations Laurel!

Investigation of the Fine Structure of Antihydrogen

Prof. Momose’s team has been collaborating as part of ALPHA with CERN to investigate a quantum theory, the Lamb shift in hydrogen. Research efforts by TRIUMF researchers at UBC, including Prof. Momose, have detected the Lamb shift in anti-hydrogen, hydrogen’s antimatter counterpart. Their research findings are published in Nature.   

Read the paper here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2006-5

Congratulations to Ed Grant!

Dr. Ed Grant has been awarded the Canadian Society for Chemistry John C. Polanyi Award. This award is presented for excellence by a scientist carrying out research in Canada in physical, theoretical or computational chemistry or chemical physics.

Congratulations Dr. Grant!