Luis De Jesus Named Assistant Professor

With support from the DMREF program, we have built and sustained an authentic partnership with the University of Puerto Rico Cayey. One of our UPR students, Luis De Jesus, was a PhD student with Sarbajit Banerjee at Texas A&M. He was a huge contributor to both the research and outreach aspects of our project. After completing a post-doctoral stint at University of Pennsylvania, Luis has accepted an offer for a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Chemistry at the University at Buffalo, exemplifying a significant success with training of members of underrepresented groups to a career in academia. Luis is one of several underrepresented minority students with excellent outcomes across our two institutions.

American Chemical Society Diversity Award

Sarbajit Banerjee has been named the 2021 recipient of the SWRM American Chemical Society Stanley C. Israel Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences recognizing in part the Texas A&M and University at Buffalo Initiative funded by the DMREF award to forge a partnership with the University of Puerto Rico Cayey. The award recognizes individuals who have advanced diversity in the chemical sciences & significantly stimulated or fostered activities that promote inclusiveness. He has also been named the 2021 recipient of Texas A&M Leadership in Equity & Diversity Award.