Houston, TX - May 6, 2025 - The Welch Foundation, one of the nation’s largest sources of private funding for basic chemical research, welcomes Glenn H. Fredrickson of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) as the newest member of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
“The Scientific Advisory Board is the backbone of The Welch Foundation. Their expertise allows us to achieve our mission of advancing chemistry,” said Fred Brazelton, Chair, Board of Directors. “We are honored to welcome Professor Fredrickson to our board and look forward to his vital contributions.”
At UCSB, Professor Fredrickson serves as a Distinguished Professor and holds the Mitsubishi Chemical Endowed Chair in Functional Materials. His research broadly relates to the statistical mechanics of soft materials, including polymers, colloids and glasses. A recent theme involves the development of field-theoretic computer simulation techniques for the design of nanostructured soft materials and fundamental studies of quantum fluids and magnets. To date, Fredrickson has authored over 430 publications that have garnered more than 62,000 citations.
Prior to joining UCSB in 1990, Professor Fredrickson obtained a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. degree from Stanford University in the same discipline. He subsequently joined AT&T Bell Laboratories, where he was named Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff.
Professor Fredrickson’s honors include the Polymer Physics Prize of the American Physical Society, the Cooperative Research Award in Polymer Science and Engineering of the American Chemical Society, the Alpha Chi Sigma and Walker Awards of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Materials Theory Award of the Materials Research Society and the Collaboration Success Award of the Council for Chemical Research. He is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. Fredrickson has advised a broad range of companies in areas related to chemical and soft material science and technology. He also held various management positions with Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corporation (MCG) and its precursor, Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corporation (MCHC), including as Chief Technology Officer and Managing Corporate Executive Officer of the R&D Strategy Office of MCHC. Fredrickson served as a member of MCHC and MCG’s Board of Directors over the period 2014-2024.
“I am excited to join this distinguished group to further the excellent work being conducted by the Welch Foundation,” said Professor Fredrickson. “With the current uncertainty for federal science funding, such private programs are vital to our nation’s future prosperity.”
“Professor Fredrickson will be a valuable asset to our team; we are delighted to have him join the Scientific Advisory Board,” said Catherine J. Murphy, Chair, Scientific Advisory Board. “His work in chemistry has led to important advancements and his expertise will prove vital to our mission.”
Since 1954, the Houston-based Welch Foundation has contributed over $1.1 billion to the advancement of chemistry through research grants, departmental research grants, endowed chairs, Postdoctoral Fellowships, the Catalyst for Discovery Program Grants, the WelchX Retreat and Pilot Grants, and the Equipment Grant Program and support for other chemistry-related programs in Texas. The Foundation also bestows the annual Welch Award in Chemistry, recognizing achievement in basic research internationally, and the Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research to early-career Texas scientists.
For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.welch1.org.