Alumni-Supported Awards and Fellowships

The following fellowships for undergraduate and graduate Chemistry students are supported through the generosity of our alumni, for which we are grateful.

Chemistry Alumni Award
The Chemistry Alumni Award honors the top Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry Majors of senior status for academic excellence, based on cumulative rank, and is presented by the Department of Chemistry faculty at the annual Undergraduate Awards Ceremony. This award, consisting of a monetary gift and certificate, has been presented to one or more students each year since 2000.

Priscilla B. Clarke Chemistry Award
The Priscilla B. Clarke Chemistry Award will be used by the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in consultation with the Department of Chemistry undergraduate award committee for an annual award that recognizes an outstanding Bachelor of Science graduating senior in the Department of Chemistry.

Medicinal Chemistry Fellowship
The Medicinal Chemistry Fellowship is given to advanced Medicinal Chemistry PhD students of outstanding scholarship and character. 

Edward J. Kikta Jr. Fellowship

Edward J. Kikta, Jr. received his Bachelor’s and Ph.D. in Chemistry at the State University of New York at Buffalo. He received his Ph.D. from UB after studying analytical chemistry with an emphasis in chromatography from 1972-1976.

Dr. Kikta served as a teaching assistant at UB from 1972 to 1975. He also served as a research assistant from 1975-1976. In 1976 he joined the FMC Corp. where he was a research scientist/chemist in Middleport, NY. Dr. Kikta was steadily promoted at FMC, holding positions of senior research chemist and research associate until 1981. In 1981, he was appointed manager of the ACG Analytical Sciences at FMC. Today he is a research fellow and competency leader for the analytical and sciences group of FMC Agricultural Products Group in Princeton, NJ.

Dr. Kikta has authored 30 publications to date. He has received numerous honors including the Award for Achievement in Chromatography from the Western New York Section of the ACS and the Niagara Frontier Society for Applied Spectroscopy, and the NECDG Distinguished Chromatographer Award. He was also a former President of the North East Regional Chromatography Discussion Group and three-time Chairman of the American Society for Testing and Materials Committee E-19 on Chromatography. Dr. Kikta was also a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Testing and Evaluation. He has been listed in Who’s Who in the East and Technology Today. He also serves as a charter member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for the College of Arts and Sciences at UB.

This fellowship is for one year and will provide one or more incoming graduate students in Chemistry add-on support to their assistantship. The recipients are selected by the members of the Graduate Admissions Committee.

Peter T. Lansbury Chemistry Award
Joseph P. Vacca, PhD 1983, received the Merck Director’s Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the discovery of Crixivan, an HIV protease inhibitor. Dr. Vacca selected the University at Buffalo as recipient of the Merck prize because of the important role UB played in his career. To honor his former PhD mentor, Dr. Peter T. Lansbury, Professor Emeritus, Dr. Vacca created the Peter T. Lansbury Chemistry Award in 1999. This award is given periodically to a deserving undergraduate chemistry major, preferably in his/her junior year. The funds may be used to carry out summer research with a UB faculty member.

Sol J. Lederman Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Sol J. Lederman Research Fellows will be selected by the Department of Chemistry’s Undergraduate Committee based on applications submitted by interested students. The committee will award the fellowship(s) to students who: (1) show special promise as a researcher, (2) have a commitment from a mentor to provide matching funds in support of a stipend, supplies, etc, and (3) have high promise of generating publishable results. At the end of the fellowship period, Sol J. Lederman Research Fellows must submit a short report (3-5 page) summarizing their research activity and results.

Silbert Fellowship
Established by Doris and Joseph Silbert in memorial to their brother Samuel Silbert to provide a fellowship award to a University at Buffalo graduate student with preference given to students from Western New York meeting the qualifications of outstanding scholarship and character and having financial need.

Jere Solo Interdisciplinary Award in Chemistry
The Solo Fellowship was established in 2001 by Dr. and Mrs. John N. Kapoor in honor of Dr. Kapoor’s PhD Mentor, Professor Jere Solo. The award consists of a generous fellowship for graduate students studying medicinal chemistry.

Speyer Fellowship
The Speyer Fellowship was established in 2013. This fellowship was made possible through the generosity of Dr. Thomas and Judith Mich and is intended for exceptional doctoral students who have successfully passed both their research synopsis and research proposal requirements in the Department of Chemistry, who show developing independence and have met the qualifications of outstanding scholar and character. The Speyer Fellowship gives a generous stipend and a tuition scholarship.

Ralph F. Theuer Scholarship Award
 The family of Ralph F. Theuer, University at Buffalo alumnus, BA Chemistry 1946 and EdM. Science Education 1950, in order to further science education, established the Ralph F. Theuer Endowment Fund in 1994. This award is presented annually to one or more outstanding students pursuing a degree in Chemistry or a graduate degree in Science Education at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Awardees are selected by the Department of Chemistry Undergraduate Affairs Committee, and students selected are presented their scholarship and certificate at the Department of Chemistry annual awards ceremony.

William E. Townsend Scholarship Award
 Mr. William E. Townsend, UB Class of 1950 with a BA degree in Chemistry, in order to recognize worthy students at his alma mater, established the William E. Townsend Scholarship Fund in 1992. This award is presented annually to one or more freshman chemistry majors, preferably from the Western New York area, with demonstrated financial need and possession of good personal characteristics in terms of attitude, personality, citizenship and leadership. Recipients are selected by the Department of Chemistry Undergraduate Affairs Committee. The award may be presented to each awardee for up to four consecutive years, provided they remain a chemistry major in good standing with the University.