Honors College Fellow earn prestigious 2026 Sloan fellowship
Introduction
Assistant Professor and Honors College Fellow Andy Nguyen is one of two researchers at UIC who has been awarded the Sloan Research Fellowship.
Via UIC Today article:
Nguyen is an assistant professor of chemistry. His lab conducts synthetic chemistry to create molecules inspired by nature.
His goal is to mimic a class of biomolecules called enzymes: complicated nanomachines that catalyze, or speed up, chemical reactions in living systems. Since enzymes in nature are specifically adapted to fit their circumstances, translating them for human applications can be complicated. Often, scientists use precious metals like platinum and palladium as catalysts instead.
“But precious metals are scarce in nature,” Nguyen said. “If Mother Nature has evolved ways to conduct chemical reactions without precious metals, why can’t we?”
To find the answer, Nguyen takes inspiration from a simpler time: more than four billion years ago.
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Read the full UIC Today article here