Endowed chairs are a critical resource for our departments. These positions attract and retain top-quality faculty for our students to learn from and work alongside on scientific research that addresses the world’s greatest needs and humanity’s drive for exploration.
Physical Sciences faculty are among the most creative and accomplished scientists in numerous areas of discovery. Many of them have their groundbreaking research supported by endowed chairs, which have been generously established by donors to their departments, the Division of Physical Sciences, and the university. Learn more about the outstanding faculty who hold these chairs below.
James McWilliams
Louis B. Slichter Chair in Geophysics and Planetary Physics
Michael Jung
Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in Medicinal Drug Discovery
Neil Garg
Kenneth N. Trueblood Endowed Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry
Juli Feigon
Christopher S. Foote Chair
David Eisenberg
Paul D. Boyer Professorship in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
Patrick Harran
D.J. and J.M. Cram Chair in Organic Chemistry
Shimon Weiss
Dean M. Willard Chair in Chemistry
Heather Maynard
Dr. Myung Ki Hong Endowed Chair in Polymer Science
Richard Kaner
Dr. Myung Ki Hong Endowed Chair in Materials Innovation
Paul S. Weiss
UC Presidential Chair in Chemistry
Kendall Houk
Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry
Chong Liu
Jeffrey and Helo Zink Endowed Professional Development Chair in Chemistry
Keriann Backus
Alexander and Renee Kolin Endowed Professorship
Matthew Nava
Jeffrey and Helo Zink Endowed Professional Development Chair in Chemistry
Abigail Doyle
Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry
Lingsen Meng
Leon and Joanne V.C. Knopoff Chair in Physics and Geophysics
Carolina Lithgow-Bertelloni
Louis B. and Martha B. Slichter Endowed Chair in Geosciences
Karen McKinnon
Pritzker Chair in Environment and Sustainability
Pablo Saide
Pritzker Chair in Environment and Sustainability
Andrea Bertozzi
Betsy Wood Knapp Chair for Innovation and Creativity
Terence Tao
James and Carol Collins Chair
Chandrashekhar Khare
David Saxon Presidential Chair in Mathematics
Deanna Needell
Dunn Family Endowed Chair in Data Theory
Sorin Popa
Yuki, Kyoko, and Masamichi Takesaki Endowed Chair in Operator Algebras
Andrea Ghez
Lauren B. Leichtman & Arthur E. Levine Astrophysics Endowed Chair
Smadar Naoz
Howard and Astrid Preston Term Chair in Astrophysics
Thomas Dumitrescu
Mani L. Bhaumik Presidential Endowed Chair in Theoretical Physics
Mikhail Solon
David S. Saxon Presidential Term Chair in Physics
Deanna Needell
Dunn Family Endowed Chair in Data Theory
To find out how you can contribute to an endowed chair, please contact Brooke Sanders, senior director of development, at 310-794-9045 or bsanders@support.ucla.edu.