RICHARDSON, Texas (May 5, 2005) – Four researchers at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) have received grants totaling $630,000 from the Houston-based Welch Foundation, which annually funds basic chemistry research in Texas.
The four scientists – three from the Chemistry Department and one from the Physics Department – each received grants in amounts ranging from $150,000 to $180,000. The funding cycle for the grants begins on June 1 and continues for three years. The grant recipients, amount of funding and titles of funded research projects are:
 Dr. Jung-Mo Ahn |
 Dr. Donovan Haines |
 Dr. A. Dean Sherry |
 Dr. Anvar Zakhidov |
- Dr. Jung-Mo Ahn, assistant professor of chemistry, $150,000, “A General Methodology to Develop Peptidomimetics of Large Peptide Hormones.”
- Dr. Donovan Haines, assistant professor of chemistry, $150,000, “Engineering an Efficient Cholesterol Hydroxylase from a Highly Active Fatty Acid Hydroxylase, CYP102A1.”
- Dr. A. Dean Sherry, who holds the Cecil and Ida Green Honors Chair in Chemistry, $180,000, “Lanthanide-Based CEST Agents for Metabolic Imaging.”
- Dr. Anvar Zakhidov, professor of physics and associate director of the UTD NanoTech Institute, $150,000, “Synthesis of Quantum Dot-Conducting Polymer Nano-Stars for Fundamental Enhancement of Photovoltaics.”
The Welch Foundation was established in 1954 by the estate of Robert A. Welch, an oil and minerals entrepreneur. In addition to funding fundamental chemical research at universities, colleges and other educational institutions in Texas, the organization underwrites 42 endowed chairs in chemistry and related sciences, including one at UTD filled by Dr. Ray H. Baughman, director of the UTD NanoTech Institute. The foundation also sponsors a wide array of conferences, lectures and scholarly programs to further chemistry education and research at the middle school, high school and college levels in Texas.
Since its inception, the foundation has made grants to researchers at UTD totaling nearly $9 million.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.