Young Chemist Receives National Honor

Graduate Student Honored for Her Research

By Kaitlin Solimine
June 2005

USC College’s Lyudmila Slipchenko, a doctoral student in chemistry, recently received the 2005 Anna Louise Hoffman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Graduate Research by Iota Sigma Pi, the national honor society for women in chemistry. The award, given since 1979, serves to promote the advancement of women in chemistry by recognizing women who have demonstrated superior scholastic achievement and high professional competence.

“The percentage of women Ph.D. recipients in the field of chemistry is now over 30 percent, and chemistry is a large discipline, so this award is a remarkable achievement,” says Hanna Reisler, professor and chair of chemistry in the College, and holder of the Gabilan Chair in Chemistry. “Congratulations are due not only to Lyudmila, but also to Anna Krylov, her terrific adviser who is dedicated to promoting the careers of her students.”

Together, Krylov, associate professor of chemistry, and Slipchenko have published a number of groundbreaking papers about their discovery and study of the first organic tri-radical molecule.  

“Lyudmila has demonstrated outstanding intellectual abilities, creativity, self-discipline and excellence in research,” says Krylov. “Her contributions in the field of theoretical chemistry have helped to put USC on the map.”

Slipchenko’s achievements have been recognized at USC as well: In 2004 she was one of three graduate students selected to receive a USC College Doctoral Research Prize and was also the recipient of the Michael J. Dulligan Memorial Research Award at USC.

Slipchenko earned a B.Sc. and M.Sc. with honors from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1998 and 2000, respectively.