Alumni News
Career Changer
Dr. Patrick Donovan earned his PhD from Boston College in 2008 working in Professor Larry Scottās organic chemistry research group. After a short stint in a pharmaceutical company and finding himself without a job, Dr. Donovan accepted an offer to join Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. Happy with the transition, he now works on molecules that can be used in diverse assays and is less specialized than the chemistry typically done in pharmaceutical companies. Read about the transition of Donovan and others who decided to forego the traditional career path and join the world of medical diagnostics at .
Ļć½¶Šć Alum Scoring Big with Funders
Dr. Greg OāNeil, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Western Washington University, earned a B.S. in chemistry from Boston College. As an undergraduate, Prof. OāNeil worked in the research laboratory of Professor Larry Scott. He went on to earn his doctorate at the University of Colorado and was the recipient of the Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship, spending several years at the Max-Planck Institut fĆ¼r Kohlenforschung. Prof. OāNeil has received three impressive grant awards in support of his research. These include an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program Grant, an Undergraduate New Investigator Grant from the Petroleum Research Fund and an NIH grant. Additional information on Prof. OāNeilās research can be found on .
Charles Johannes named Head of Organic Chemistry at the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES)
Dr. Charles Johannes has assumed the role of Head of Organic Chemistry at the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES). He will hold a joint appointment at the Experimental Therapeutics Center (ETC) under the Agency of Science and Technology (A*STAR) for the Singapore government. In this new role, Dr. Johannesā work will encompass drug discovery, green chemistry, process research and specialty chemicals. A doctoral student working in Prof. Amir H. Hoveydaās group, he received his PhD in 1998. Most recently, Dr. Johannes was the Director of Chemistry at Forma Therapeutics.
Steven Malcolmson wins Reaxys PhD Prize
Dr. Steven Malcolmson, who earned his Ph.D. in Professor Amir Hoveydaās group, was selected as a recipient of the 2011 Reaxys PhD Prize. This highly competitive international award recognizes research and publication excellence. Consideration is given for originality, innovation, importance to the field, applicability, rigor of approach and publication quality. A board of over 70 leading international chemists reviewed close to 300 submissions resulting in the naming of 3 winners. Malcolmson was honored for his article, āHighly Efficient Molybdenum-Based Catalysts for Enantioselective Alkene Metathesis.ā He is currently a postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Professor Christopher Walsh, Harvard Medical School.
Dr. John L. LaMattina receives ACS Award
Dr. John LaMattina received the Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management from the American Chemical Society earlier this year. This award honors those who have shown excellent leadership and creativity in promoting chemistry through a proven record of successful research projects that have motivated fellow researchers and gained the recognition of their peers. Receiving a B.S. in Chemistry from Boston College in 1971, D. LaMattina is the former President of Pfizer Global R&D. He is currently a Senior Partner at PureTech Ventures. A friend of the Chemistry Department, Dr. LaMattina generously supports our graduate program with the annual award of Dr. John L. LaMattina Fellows.
Dr. Ming Joo "MJ" Koh (Ph.D, 2017, Hoveyda Lab Researcher) is now an Assistant Professor in the Chemistry Department at the National University of Singapore. He was recently selected as a 2021 recipient of the prestigious MIT Tech Review's Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific Award. In June of 2018, Dr. Koh was awarded the President's Assistant Professorship to commence his independent studies at the National University of Singapore.
Dr. Jin Xie, (Ph.D. 2015, Wang Lab Researcher) is an Assistant Professor at ShanghaiTech University.
Dr. Frank A. Robey, (Ļć½¶ŠćC'72) recently founded AriaVax, Inc., a small molecule vaccine company following a successful career at the National Institute of Health.
Currently a Senior Scientist at Life Technologies, Dr. Guobing Xiang received his Ph.D. in 1996.
Dr. Yongquan Li, Ph.D. '02, is an R&D Scientist with Thermofisher Scientific.