University of Richmond Chemistry Professor Miles Johnson Receives National Teaching Award and $75K Research Grant
Grant News
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND — Miles Johnson, a chemistry professor at the University of Richmond, has been named a 2024 Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar. Johnson is one of nine faculty across the country to receive this competitive award, which includes a $75,000 research grant.
The award from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation honors young faculty in the chemical sciences who have created an outstanding independent body of scholarship and are deeply committed to education with undergraduates.
Johnson’s research focuses on metal catalysts, particularly nickel. Such catalysts are routinely used in the development of new chemical compounds, which has implications in the pharmaceutical industry.
“This award will support the work of many research students over the next few years,” Johnson said. “These students will continue to study aspects of organometallic chemistry that are of value in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals.”
Johnson is a double Spider, having graduated from the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 2009. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley, and became a faculty member at UR in 2016.
“Miles is committed to advancing the boundaries of knowledge in his field,” said Jon Dattelbaum, chair of UR’s Department of Chemistry. “He’s also a dedicated mentor, creating enriching research opportunities that help his students see themselves grow and succeed as scientists.”
This award is the latest of Johnson’s achievements. He was awarded a National Science Foundation Career Award that included $500,000 in grant support in 2021. He has also received funding to support his research from the American Chemical Society and Jeffress Memorial Trust.
Johnson is mentoring current Goldwater Scholar Sophie Goldberg, a senior chemistry major from Falmouth, Maine, who is one of eight students in Johnson’s research group. Goldberg is Johnson’s third mentee to receive a Goldwater award, and he was a Goldwater scholar as an undergraduate at UR.
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“This award will support the work of many research students over the next few years. These students will continue to study aspects of organometallic chemistry that are of value in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals.”
