FSU Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry

05/29/2026

Congratulations to Mike Shatruk, who is one of seven Florida State University faculty members elected to the Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine of Florida this year!

Shatruk is a professor in the FSU Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry specializing in solid-state and molecular magnetism and the discovery of new quantum materials. As the founding director of the FSU Quantum Science Initiative, Shatruk works at the boundary between materials chemistry and physics to uncover correlations between crystal structure and magnetic properties of quantum materials.

To check out the full story, visit: fla.st/XQQXQ10X.

Florida State University Division of Research, FSU Faculty Development

05/26/2026

Justin Kennemur (FSU Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry) is the first from Florida State University to win the 2026 Distinguished Service Award from the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry!

His lab, the Kennemur Research Group, takes inspiration from organic chemistry concepts in the natural world, like complex polymers found naturally in starch or collagen, to develop synthetic techniques that advance polymer chemistry, especially in the development of sustainable plastics that can be reused and recycled more effectively.

To learn more, visit: fla.st/VU4S24EB.

Florida State University Division of Research, FSU Faculty Development

05/22/2026

Xiangpeng Li (FSU Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry) is part of a research team searching Earth's soil for microbes that can be used to create new antibiotics to treat the growing threat of drug-resistant bacteria.

To learn more about this research led by Florida State University and National High Magnetic Field Laboratory scientists, visit: fla.st/WGTJA3HE.

📸 : Stephen Bilenky/National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

05/21/2026

Congratulations to Kristina Håkansson, who was recently named a fellow of the American Society of Mass Spectrometry!

Håkansson is a professor in the FSU Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, and her research employs mass spectrometry techniques to better understand biological phenomena. This work is part of Florida State University's longstanding partnership with the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, the largest and highest-powered magnet lab in the world.

To learn more about research conducted in the department, visit chem.fsu.edu.

Florida State University Division of Research, FSU College of Arts & Sciences

05/20/2026

05/13/2026

In 1989, Florida State University chemist Robert Holton developed a method to manufacture synthetic Taxol from 10-deacetylbaccatin III, a biosynthetic Taxol precursor extracted from the yew tree that can be mass produced, which has since been used to save the lives of more than a million ovarian, breast, lung and pancreatic cancer patients.

The FSU Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry's legacy of molecular synthesis and drug development was recently featured in an American Council on Science and Health article, exploring the critical nature of semisynthetic molecules in medicine.

To check out the full article, visit: bit.ly/4djKk5r.

Florida State University Division of Research

05/11/2026

Hello, summer! ☀️

To all of our FSU College of Arts & Sciences students, faculty and staff starting classes today, we hope your summer semester is off to a wonderful start.

For more information on summer sessions A, B, C and F as well as important Florida State University deadlines, visit registrar.fsu.edu/summer-2026-academic-calendar.

FSU Division of Student Affairs, FSU Undergraduate Studies

05/07/2026

A special congrats to the FSU Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry's Wen Zhu, who was celebrated in the April 2026 Faculty and Staff Briefs!

Congratulations to these Florida State University faculty and staff members for being recognized across the state and nation for their notable achievements! 🌟

Read more ➡️ https://news.fsu.edu/news/faculty-staff-briefs/2026/05/01/faculty-and-staff-briefs-april-2026/

05/04/2026

Congratulations to Florida State University alumnus Yi Zhang, who has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences!

Zhang — who earned his doctorate through the Molecular Biophysics Graduate Program at FSU in the FSU College of Arts & Sciences — currently serves as the Fred S. Rosen endowed Professor of Pediatrics and Professor of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, as well as an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

"Being elected to the National Academy of Sciences is not only an honor for me, but also an honor for all of my previous trainees as it means that their works done in my lab have finally been recognized,” Zhang said.

Read more about Zhang’s breakthrough research on gene expression, addiction disorders and aging, in Spectrum magazine: fla.st/MOC33X8X.