Theodor Agapie Wins American Chemical Society Award

Theodor Agapie, assistant professor of chemistry at Caltech, has received the 2013 Award in Pure Chemistry from the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award will be presented at the national meeting of the ACS in New Orleans in April.

ACS is recognizing Agapie for his laboratory research on inorganic compounds. According to Agapie, his lab is working toward developing catalysts for artificial photosynthesis, a promising area of research into sustainable energy.

"I am very honored and thrilled to have received this award, particularly because I think it provides recognition for the efforts of my entire research team," says Agapie. "I have been lucky to work with a group of very talented young scientists who made the discoveries noted in this award."

Agapie, a native of Romania, received his bachelor's degree from MIT in 2001 and his PhD from Caltech in 2007. He has been an assistant professor at Caltech since early 2009. Since joining Caltech's faculty, Agapie has been named a Searle Scholar, a Sloan Research Fellow, and the recipient of a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. The Award in Pure Chemistry comes with a $5,000 prize and travel expenses for the upcoming national meeting of the American Chemical Society.