IMPACT

This award is one of the state’s highest honors and recognizes scientific achievement, leadership, mentorship and contributions that advance science in Oregon and beyond. The recognition comes as Barbar is also leading a new $1.3 million NIH-funded training program to prepare the next generation of molecular biophysicists.

Four College of Science research teams have been awarded funding through SciRIS Stage 2 and Stage 3 categories. Their projects span quantum materials, nanotechnology, spectroscopy, and cell-based computing — exploring spin waves for future computing, tracking nanoplastics in living systems, developing single-pixel spectrometers, and advancing cell-based artificial intelligence.

Meet a new member of the Department of Chemistry whose lab explores stimuli-responsive molecules for applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering and biomimicry.

Meet a new member of the Department of Statistics.

Meet the six 2025 Alumni Award recipients who made important discoveries, dedicated their time to others and improved the world through science.

Scientists in the College of Science have filed a patent on a design for a new magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent with the potential to outperform current agents while being less toxic to patients and more environmentally friendly.

After decades of researching membrane protein folding as a physician scientist, Dr. William (Bill) Skach joined an industry-leading foundation to help hundreds of labs and companies worldwide develop treatments for rare mutations of cystic fibrosis.

As the head of the Department of Statistics, Lan Xue is steering a major expansion with the department’s first undergraduate degree, while also prioritizing mentorship and research.

Summer undergraduate research helped Matthew Hines find his footing as a scientist.

Every summer, Oregon State’s Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) in the College of Science empowers students to turn curiosity into discovery, and in many cases, personal experiences into purpose. For Ashley Tran, it was finding a sense of belonging in a lab led by women of color.

The findings open the door to designing novel compounds for killing disease-causing organisms that have become resistant to antibiotics.

This round of funding supports biologist Mark Novak and biochemist Adrian Gombart, whose work addresses urgent global questions from climate-driven shifts in marine food webs to the genetic underpinnings of immune system function.