Announcing the Topic for the 2027 Dreyfus Prize
The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation has selected Chemical Probes of Biological Systems as the topic of the 2027 Dreyfus Prize.
The development of probes to understand biological function, particularly in the context of cells or organisms, is an important discipline in the chemical sciences. Advances in this area of chemical biology, which are distinct from the development of imaging technologies, have revealed the functions of biological molecules such as proteins, glycans, and nucleic acids; the regulation of pathways; and an understanding of disease mechanisms.
“The Foundation is proud to recognize the field of chemical biology by selecting Chemical Probes of Biological System as its 2027 Dreyfus Prize topic,” said Milan Mrksich of Northwestern University, Chair of the Dreyfus Foundation Scientific Affairs Committee. “The Prize will honor an individual who has made major contributions to the design and use of chemical probes for understanding the chemistry of life.”
The Dreyfus Prize recognizes an individual for exceptional and original research in a selected area of chemistry that has advanced the field in a major way. The Prize consists of a monetary award of $250,000, a medal, and a certificate.
For further details on the 2027 Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences, including eligibility and the nomination procedure, please visit the Dreyfus Prize webpage. The deadline for nominations is December 3, 2026.
Dreyfus Foundation 2025 Year in Review
We invite you to read The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation’s 2025 Year in Review, which is now available online.
The publication spotlights the Foundation’s major accomplishments and milestones such as:
- The announcement of the 2027 Dreyfus Prize Topic;
- The 2025 Dreyfus Prize Celebration of Héctor D. Abruña;
- The Supplemental Grants for Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars Program;
- Two new videos from the Chemistry Shorts film series;
- And 2026 award programs and deadlines.
Read the entire report by clicking here or on the cover image below.
Our New Look!
The Foundation is pleased to share our new brand identity with this issue of the Year in Review. Over the past year, we’ve worked with the design firm Small Universe to refresh everything – from our logo to our website – maintaining the Foundation’s roots in its storied history while looking to the future. The rollout will continue over the coming months, but, for now, please enjoy this first look.
In Memoriam: Louis Brus
It is with great sympathy that we share the news that Dr. Louis Brus, Samuel Latham Mitchill Professor Emeritus and Special Research Scientist at Columbia University, passed away on January 11. Dr. Brus was a long-time Advisor and reviewer for the Foundation, as well as a speaker at many Teacher-Scholar Symposia. Among his many awards and honors, he received the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots,” nanosized particles with unique properties used in everything from televisions to LED bulbs. He will be missed.
Chemistry Shorts Releases New Film on Organic Chemistry
The Dreyfus Foundation-sponsored Chemistry Shorts® series released its newest film, “Changing Key and Chemistry,” featuring Professor Dr. Neil Garg from UCLA. Professor Garg shows us that organic chemistry can be understood much like music — one key, one scale, and one step at a time. Each atom in a molecule is like a note in a melody: once you learn the basic components, you can put them together in infinite combinations from the simplest molecules to the most complicated symphonies.
In the second act of the film, Professor Garg explains how scientists have re-orchestrated natural molecules to solve big problems. For instance, by slightly tweaking a chemical found in yew trees, scientists created the cancer-fighting drug taxol. Listening to nature with a well-tuned ear allows us to compose brand-new masterpieces.
In the final act, Professor Garg reminds us that scientific progress often begins when someone plays off-script:
“And I’m always reminded, although we need to use these rules to teach students, that we also just as much teach them that these are rules based on what we know now. And without you challenging those rules, solving problems, creating things, making new discoveries, we don’t advance society.” – Professor Garg
Professor Garg’s recent headline-making work on anti-Bredt olefins showed that even century-old chemistry rules are made to be broken as we expand our scientific understanding.
In the lab, the classroom, and now the screen, Professor Garg conducts learners with excitement and passion, encouraging them to not just practice the scales of organic chemistry, but improvise beyond the score.
The film is available for immediate viewing and use in teaching free of charge on the Chemistry Shorts YouTube channel. Teaching materials related to the film can be found at: https://garg.chem.ucla.edu/ug-education
2025 Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards
The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation is pleased to announce the selection of eight new Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholars for 2025.
The award honors young faculty in the chemical sciences who have created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and are deeply committed to education with undergraduates. Each Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar receives an unrestricted research grant of $75,000.
Jeanine Amacher
Western Washington University
All Residues Considered: Specificity Determinants at Non-Motif Positions Drive Protein-SLiM Interactions
Shuming Chen
Oberlin College
Mechanism-Guided Design and Selectivity Control in Catalysis via Hidden Dynamic and Coordination-Sphere Influences
Melissa Gordon
Lafayette College
Design for Degradation: Developing Polymers for Environmental Responsiveness and Breakdown
Geneva Laurita
Bates College
Local Structure and Functionality in the Investigation of Non-Toxic Inorganic Ceramics and Pigments
Ryan Limbocker
United States Military Academy at West Point
Biophysical Studies to Understand and Combat Protein Misfolding and Aggregation Mechanisms Relevant to Pathology
Andrew Petit
California State University, Fullerton
From Photobase Catalysis to Electronic Quenching: New Directions in Computational Photochemistry
Julie Pollock
University of Richmond
Interdisciplinary Chemical Biology: Advancing Drug Discovery and Understanding Disease Mechanisms
Kathryn Riley
Swarthmore College
Enabling a Mechanistic Understanding of the Biomolecule-Mediated Reactivity of Nanoscale Materials