Faculty

EARTH SCIENCES - Carol Paty, a comparative planetologist in the College of Arts and Sciences helped develop one of the scientific instruments aboard NASA’s Europa Clipper, which blasted off Oct. 14, on the world’s first mission to conduct a detailed study of Jupiter's moon Europa. Paty, an Earth sciences professor, is a member of the research teams behind two of the nine scientific instruments the spacecraft will use to confirm and measure what scientists strongly suspect is a vast sea of salty water buried under a sheet of ice enveloping the moon’s surface.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - As Teresa Rapp and Matthias Agne enter their second year as members of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department’s research faculty, we thought we’d ask them for some thoughts and highlights from their first year at the University of Oregon.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Vickie DeRose, professor and head of chemistry and biochemistry, has been awarded a creativity extension by the National Science Foundation (NSF) for research into the structure and function of ribonucleic acid (RNA) through its interactions with metal ions. Fellow chemist Mike Pluth was awarded an NSF creativity extension in 2023 for his work on the role small sulfur-based molecules play in many biological processes. These molecules were likely key species involved in evolution, especially before there was oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Check out news highlights from 2024 and catch up with alumni in the latest issue of the UO Chemistry and Biochemistry newsletter!

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - UO Chemistry and Biochemistry is pleased to welcome three new faculty members to the department in 2024! Meet Assistant Professors Dhiman Ray, Romila Mascarenhas, and Paul Kempler and learn more about the research they'll be conducting in their labs.

BIOLOGY, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - Associate Professor Lauren Hallett and other members of her lab collect data for the Nutrient Network, a web of 130 sites around the world that monitor how nutrient addition affects biodiversity loss. The resulting data will provide a foundation for research that helps predict and reduce this loss.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - Professor Darren Johnson is among 11 accomplished researchers selected to receive Research Corporation for Science Advancement’s Cottrell Plus SEED Award for 2024. Johnson is an academic expert in green chemistry. He studies water pollution and purification, especially agriculture and industrial waste water.

CHEMISTRY AND BIOCHEMISTRY - In July, the Teresa Rapp Lab received a $100,000 grant from the Donald E. And Deliah B. Baxter Foundation, a charitable institution established to advance medical and scientific research at institutions of higher learning. In the Rapp Lab, the funding will support a new project modeling late-stage fibrosis with light-responsive biomaterials.

BIOLOGY - People are living longer, but that comes with age-related health issues, including Alzheimer’s disease, osteoarthritis and dementia. Biology Professor Patrick Phillips is spearheading a new research initiative focused on age-related diseases. The effort employs technology that will accelerate discovery and fuel new approaches to research, launched with a major gift from longtime UO donors Kenda and Kenneth Singer.