2025 Glenn T. Seaborg Symposium & Medal Award Dinner

On March 21, 2025, the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry posthumously awarded the 2025 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal to Nobel Laureate and UCLA Professor Emeritus Sir Fraser Stoddart, a much-respected and beloved colleague who passed away on December 30, 2024. The department held the Seaborg Symposium and Medal Award Dinner in honor of his remarkable life and legacy. His daughter, Dr. Fiona McCubbin, and her husband, Quentin McCubbin, attended all the events, and she accepted the award on her father’s behalf at the Medal Award Dinner.

The 2025 Seaborg Symposium, titled “Artificial Molecular Machines: From Invention to Implementation,” celebrated Stoddart’s achievements and featured talks by five prominent scientists: Anne-Sophie Duwez (University of Liège), Omar Yaghi (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2025; University of California, Berkeley), Nathalie Katsonis (University of Groningen), Ben Feringa (Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016; University of Groningen), and Ken Houk (UCLA).

Dr. Cameron Movassaghi (Ph.D. ’24, Andrews Group; Postdoctoral Scientist, Cedars-Sinai) also spoke at the symposium as the 2025 recipient of the Norma Stoddart Prize for Academic Excellence in Outstanding Citizenship. Established in 2004 by Stoddart and his family and friends to honor his late wife, Norma, the prize is awarded annually to a current or recent UCLA Chemistry & Biochemistry graduate student for exceptional contributions to science, service, and humanity – qualities Norma exemplified. From 2012 until his passing (excluding the pandemic), Stoddart returned each year to present the award at the Norma Stoddart Prize Lecture.

A panel of faculty judges – Professors Soumitra Athavale, Osvaldo Gutierrez, and Stefan Petrovic – selected three winners from the poster session competition: postdoctoral researcher Dr. Huiling Shao (Houk group) and graduate students Emma Greene (Harran group) and Peter Fernandez and Jonathan Shirley (Damoiseaux and Koehler groups).

After the symposium, guests gathered at UCLA Carnesale Commons – Palisades Ballroom for a reception and medal award dinner.  

Following the meal, faculty judges announced the poster session winners, and Department Chair Alex Spokoyny and Professor Ken Houk presented the 2025 Glenn T. Seaborg Medal to Stoddart’s daughter.

In her acceptance speech, McCubbin said, “My father’s research and his students were always his greatest passion, and his ten years at UCLA were intrinsic to cementing that priority in his life. He was known for his forthright and unconventional approach to mentoring students and for believing that they were his partners and not his disciples. He really did want to make it possible for young people with amazing talent to express their creativity. And I think we heard a lot of people mention that during the symposium today.  Since my father’s death, my family has been so touched by the many letters we’ve received and the wonderful and entertaining memories people have shared with us about him. He was one of a kind. I know my dad would be truly honored by this award, and I am proud to accept it on his behalf.”

Attending the day’s events were former California Governor Gray Davis and Seaborg Medalists Professors Ken Houk (2013), Michael Jung (2016), William Gelbart (2017), and Juli Feigon (2023-24).

The day after the Seaborg events, more than 40 former Stoddart group members gathered for a reunion and symposium.

The department wishes to thank Dr. Fiona McCubbin and her husband, Quentin McCubbin, for attending the events on Stoddart’s behalf, as well as our generous supporters, whose donations made the Seaborg events possible. Many thanks to the undergraduate volunteers from the Student Members of the American Chemical Society (SMACS) for their help at the Seaborg events.

To read more about the 2025 Seaborg events, visit bit.ly/UCLASeaborg25.

Established in 1987, the Glenn T. Seaborg Medal honors UCLA alumnus and Nobel Laureate Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg ’34. Learn more at www.seaborg.ucla.edu. 

Fraser and Norma Stoddart Chair in Contemporary Chemistry at UCLA

Before his passing, Sir Fraser, along with the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and former members of his research group at UCLA, launched a campaign to endow the Fraser and Norma Stoddart Chair in Contemporary Chemistry at UCLA.

The goal is to create an endowed chair to recruit an organic chemist who is doing forward-looking science in Stoddart’s style. The objective is to raise a total of $2 million to endow a full chair. Sir Fraser donated $500,000 to seed the endowment, and UCLA has pledged to match those funds. For any additional donated funds, UCLA will match up to another $500,000. The interest from this endowment will be used by the future chairholder for their research interests, including support for graduate students and postdocs, and for activities to honor the memory of Fraser Stoddart.  To make a gift, please visit http://giving.ucla.edu/StoddartChair.