The Department of Chemistry mourns the loss of alumnus Robert Allen Stavenger (Ph.D., '99), who passed away on June 14, 2026, from complications due to cystic fibrosis.
Stavenger was a graduate student in Chemistry at Illinois and was advised by Scott E. Denmark, Reynold C. Fuson Professor of Chemistry. According to Stavenger's obituary, it was during his graduate studies at Illinois that he met his wife, Rosanna Tedesco, who is also an Illinois Chemistry alum, graduating in 2001 with a Ph.D. in chemistry.
After graduating from Illinois, Denmark said Stavenger spent two years as a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratories of Prof. Stuart Schreiber at Harvard University and then went on to a distinguished 19-year career at GSK in Pennsylvania.
"He was among the very best graduate students I had the privilege to mentor," Denmark said. "He was insightful, creative, and productive. His undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities did not give him much laboratory experience, but owing to Rob’s commitment he made up for it quickly. As testimony to his efforts, Rob held the record for the most publications in my group, 11 in all; a distinction that stood for over 20 years. Despite being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at a very young age, Rob was undeterred to live beyond the predicted lifespan and dedicated himself to the science he loved. I admired his ambition, his courage, his intellect, and his wry sense of humor."