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Associate professor can’t stop winning

For one associate professor in the chemistry department, there is no such thing as too many awards.

The Welch Foundation will honor Olafs Daugulis with the Norman Hackerman Award in Chemical Research at 11:30 a.m. Monday at the University Hilton.

Senior UH Media Relations Representative Lisa Merkl said Daugulis is the first UH faculty member to receive a Hackerman award, which is a $100,000 grant presented annually to scientists early in their careers.

The Welch Foundation, one of the oldest and largest private funding sources for chemical research, is awarding Daugulis for groundbreaking contributions in transition metal-based catalysis, according to the foundation’s website.

“Daugulis embodies the intent of the Hackerman award — a scientist who at an early stage of his career has already developed an outstanding record of creative and productive work that advances our knowledge of important areas of chemistry,” said Wilhelmina Robertson, chair of the Welch Foundation.

“His research address fundamental questions in synthetic organic methodology that has illuminated key issues and that ultimately may lead to applications that benefit the society.”

Daugulis has published multiple chemistry-based articles and has received several other awards. In 2009, he was honored with the Excellence in Research and Scholarship Award, and in 2007, he won a two-year Sloan Research Fellowship.

Daugulis said fundamental research is intellectually stimulating.

“I love to come to work every day and think about new things,” Daugulis said. “The Welch Foundation has played an important role in letting me freely explore new directions.”

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