HOUSTON, TX – September 3, 2024 – The Welch Foundation, one of the nation’s largest sources of private funding for basic chemical research, welcomes Sharon Hammes-Schiffer of Princeton University as the newest member of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
“The Scientific Advisory Board is comprised of some of the top minds in chemistry research; their guidance and direction is critical to the success of The Welch Foundation,” said Fred Brazelton, Chair, Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to welcome Professor Hammes-Schiffer to our esteemed board and are confident her contributions will help to further our mission.”
Professor Hammes-Schiffer serves as the A. Barton Hepburn Professor of Chemistry at Princeton University where she and her team develop analytical theories and computational methods and apply them to systems that are important in conducting real-world experiments. Her theories and methods for understanding how protons and electrons interact as well as how to simulate complex quantum behaviors have defined her as a trailblazer in her field; the invention of the nuclear-electronic orbital (NEO) approach is particularly noteworthy. These techniques have been applied to make significant discoveries surrounding quantum effects in chemical, biological, and interfacial processes.
Prior to her current role, Professor Hammes-Schiffer’s academic career includes faculty positions at the University of Notre Dame, Pennsylvania State University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Yale University. She holds her B.A. in Chemistry from Princeton University and her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University.
Professor Hammes-Schiffer has coauthored over 380 peer-reviewed papers that have been cited more than 28,000 times and has delivered over 500 invited lectures. She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2012), the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (2013), the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (2014), and the American Philosophical Society (2024). She is a Fellow of the American Physical Society, American Chemical Society, and Biophysical Society. She has received the Royal Society Bourke Award (2020), the American Chemical Society Award in Theoretical Chemistry (2021), the Joseph O. Hirschfelder Prize in Theoretical Chemistry (2021), and the Gibbs Medal Award (2021). She is the Editor-in-Chief of Chemical Reviews, the premiere review journal of the American Chemical Society, and has served on the Board of Reviewing Editors for Science and the Editorial Board for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"I am honored to be a part of The Welch Foundation, an organization with such an amazing history of supporting basic chemical research,” said Professor Hammes-Schiffer. “I look forward to collaborating with this talented group of individuals to help further the Foundation’s mission to advance chemistry in Texas and beyond.”
“Professor Hammes-Schiffer is a natural fit within our team, and we are thrilled to have her on board,” said Catherine J. Murphy, Chair, Scientific Advisory Board. “Her contributions to the field of chemistry are significant, and we look forward to the unique insights she will bring to the SAB.”
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, and support for other chemistry-related programs in Texas. In 2023, the Foundation expanded its grant programs to include the Postdoctoral Fellows Grant Program, the Catalyst for Discovery Program Grants, the WelchX Retreat and Pilot Grants, and the Equipment Grant Program. 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.
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