2025 Commencement
On June 14, the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry held its 2025 commencement ceremony to celebrate the graduating class. The ceremony, held in the Court of Sciences, began with a welcome address by Department Chair Professor Alex Spokoyny. Dean Miguel García-Garibay then presented the UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry 2025 Alumni Award to Dr. Jeffrey E. Miller ‘87, founder and CEO of Invivoscribe, who delivered an inspiring commencement address. At the ceremony, 37 of our students received Ph.D. degrees, 21 students received Master of Applied Chemical Sciences degrees, six Departmental Scholars received Master of Science degrees, and 295 undergraduate students received Bachelor’s degrees.
A special graduate at commencement was Dr. Thomas Scott Griffin, who finally received his doctoral hood more than five decades after earning his Ph.D. in Natural Products Chemistry from UCLA in 1970. Griffin completed his dissertation under the mentorship of Professor Theodore Geissman but was unable to attend his graduation after being called to active duty during the Vietnam War. The ceremony was especially meaningful, as Griffin was joined by his grandson, Ian Keyes – who was also graduating from UCLA that same weekend and beginning a master’s program in physics – symbolizing a proud family legacy of Bruin excellence.
