Natural Sciences

Megan Fieser, assistant professor of chemistry, has been awarded a Scialog Collaborative Innovation Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. One of eight projects funded in year two of Scialog’s Sustainable Minerals, Metals, and Materials initiative, the award supports basic scientific research on the acquisition, use and recycling of materials used in technology. Fieser will receive $60,000 to support her work on “SECURE Polymerization – Selective Encapsulation by Chelation Using Radiation-Enabled Polymerization” with Michael Schulz of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Hubert Saleur, professor of physics and astronomy, has won the Ampère Prize from the French Academy of Sciences. This prestigious honor, which includes 50,000 euros, recognizes outstanding achievements in physics and mathematics by a French scientist. Saleur’s studies include low-dimensional quantum field theories and statistical mechanics at the interface of hard condensed matter physics and high-energy physics, transport out of equilibrium in nanostructures, and phase transitions in disordered electronic systems.

USC Dornsife’s Public Exchange gathers scientists, health experts and community partners for a day of learning, connection and wellness designed to support neighborhoods impacted by the January wildfires.

Spotting the earliest warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease could help delay or even prevent the disease. Duke Han of psychology at USC Dornsife is co-leading a new, nationwide effort to make that possibility a reality.

MarkThompson, University Professor, Ray R. Irani, Chairman of Occidental Petroleum Corporation, Chair in Chemistry, and professor of chemistry, has been awarded a 2026 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award recognizes excellence in organic chemistry and honors Thompson’s research on organic light-emitting materials, which led to the red and green emitters that power today’s OLED screens. His work has transformed display and lighting technologies — from smartphones to televisions — while opening new possibilities for sustainable energy applications.

Lindsey Schier, associate professor of biological sciences, received the 2025 Alan N. Epstein Research Award from the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior. The honor recognizes a research discovery that has significantly advanced understanding of ingestive behavior. Schier was formally celebrated at the society’s 2025 Awards Session and Closing Banquet held at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History in August.

Remo Rohs, founding chair of the Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology and professor of quantitative and computational biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy, computer science and medicine, has been elected a Member of the National Academy of Artificial Intelligence. The academy noted Rohs’ research in AI-based computational biology and his development of several important tools, including DeepPBS for predicting protein-DNA binding specificity and DrugHIVE for designing drug-like molecules that are not available in current drug libraries.

David Bottjer, professor of Earth sciences, biological sciences and environmental studies, received the 2025 Richard Owen Alumni Award from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Indiana University Bloomington, which recognizes distinguished alumni who have made significant contributions to the geological sciences. As part of the award, he delivered a lecture titled “Extinction: Past, Present and Future,” in which he examined the patterns of ancient mass extinctions to shed light on today’s ongoing sixth extinction and its varying impacts across ecosystems.

Travis Williams, professor of chemistry, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Polyhedron Best Paper Award for his article “An Immobilized (Carbene) Nickel Catalyst for Water Oxidation.” The paper explores how a specially designed nickel compound can be used to create a stable, efficient catalyst for producing oxygen from water. Selected based on reviewer feedback and editorial evaluation, the award includes a certificate and cash prize. Williams shares the honor with his late co-author, Sri Narayan of the Department of Chemistry.