The Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign boasts an alumni network of more than 10,000 people across the globe. As students in Chemistry at Illinois, they pursued their scientific curiosity, and as alumni their impact is felt around the world. Here are some of their stories.
Omar M. Yaghi (PhD, '90)
The 12th person from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to win the Nobel Prize, alumnus Omar M. Yaghi (PhD, '90) said it was as a graduate student at Illinois that he learned from his PhD advisor Walter Klemperer how to do rigorous science and become a scientist that can break new ground, not somebody who follows other people’s discoveries.
Taeghwan Hyeon (PhD, ’96)
As director of the Center for Nanoparticle Research in the Institute for Basic Science at Seoul National University in South Korea, Dr. Taeghwan Hyeon (PhD, ’96, Suslick) is a pioneer in the field of nanoscience and has worked tirelessly throughout his award-winning career to develop groundbreaking discoveries.
Juan Velásquez (PhD, '11)
Juan Velásquez (PhD, '11) is living his dream serving as the director of Chemical Biotechonologies at Merck & Co. in New Jersey, where he has led efforts in enzyme discovery and engineering for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals targeting cancer, HIV, and cardiovascular diseases.
Markita Landry (PhD, ’12)
Markita Landry (PhD, ’12) is an associate professor of chemical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, and a 2024 Blavatnik National Award winner and 2020 University of Illinois Young Alumna Award recipient.
Daniel Heller (PhD, '10)
Daniel Heller (PhD, '10), head of the Cancer Nanomedicine Laboratory at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, has rapidly become one of the preeminent young scientists in cancer science. In 2023, Heller and colleagues reported a new nanotherapeutic approach targeting blood vessels to deliver medicines to brain cancers, and in 2024 he was honored with the LAS Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
Phillip Sharp (PhD, '69)
Phillip Sharp (PhD, '69) received the 1993 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of RNA splicing. His work helped show the genes of viruses, as well as how humans encode proteins. Sharp is now an Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a member of the university’s Department of Biology and the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research.
Mary-Dell Chilton (MS, '60; PhD, '67)
Mary-Dell Chilton (MS, '60; PhD, '67) was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation in 2023, the highest honor awarded for achievements in technology in the United States. Chilton led the team of Syngenta researchers that produced the first transgenic plant and pioneered plant biotechnology, discovering novel methods to improve plants’ ability to control pests and withstand extreme conditions. Dr. Chilton retired in 2018.
Jordan Axelson (BS, ‘10)
Jordan Axelson (BS, ‘10) has been teaching organic chemistry at Illinois for more than a decade. Twice, she has received the Faculty Instructor Teaching Award from the School of Chemical Sciences, which recognizes the entire scope of the educational effort of teaching, from course development to in-class instruction.
Hye Kyung Timken (PhD, '87)
As a Principal Scientist and Chevron Fellow, Hye Kyung Timken (PhD, '87) has devoted her industrial career to researching and developing next-generation petroleum refining and petrochemical processes and catalysts. Timken holds 154 U.S. patents and has published 20 scientific journal articles. For the development of innovative catalysts in the groundbreaking ISOALKY™ Technology, Timken won the 2023 U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Award for Chemistry in Service to Society, and she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering.