Robert Paton, a professor of chemistry at Colorado State University, was awarded the inaugural Fixman-Ladanyi Professorship in Chemistry. This professorship was created in memory of long-time distinguished chemistry faculty members Marshall Fixman and Branka Ladanyi. The professorship aims to enhance education, research, and service within the field of chemistry, specifically focusing on physical and/or theoretical chemistry.
Paton comes from an organic chemistry background and is a rising star in the development of computational and data-driven approaches to make synthetic chemistry more predictable.
“I am very grateful and fortunate to be able to honor Marshall and Branka’s legacies through the Fixman-Ladanyi Professorship by creating new education and research opportunities for CSU students in theoretical and computational chemistry,” Paton said. “Over the next few years, we hope to develop a deep molecular-level understanding of structure-reactivity and structure-selectivity relationships in catalysis, along with new computational chemistry tools for predicting the outcomes of complex reactions.”
Matthew Shores, chair of the Department of Chemistry, believes Professor Paton is an ideal recipient of the professorship, which was awarded by a selection committee chaired by Santiago Di Pietro, research associate dean in the College of Natural Sciences.
“Rob is becoming ‘the’ person sought after for collaboration in computational organic chemistry. He is a dedicated and thoughtful teacher, and he is a valuable department citizen. Dr. Paton’s well-rounded excellence sets a high standard for the Fixman-Ladanyi Professorship,” said Shores.
Simon Tavener, interim dean of the College of Natural Sciences, congratulated Professor Paton, saying, “Since his arrival in 2018, Dr. Paton has continued his prolific research program, publishing more than 50 papers while at CSU. His laboratory, including six graduate students and multiple undergraduate researchers, is supported by a diverse set of funding agencies, and significantly, he is a co-founder of the multi-institute NSF Center for Computer-Assisted Synthesis. Dr. Paton’s work is recognized not only through publication and external research funding but through a remarkable number of national and international invited talks. This professorship recognizes his incredible contributions to research and education at CSU.”
The ~$400k fund is used to support the spirit of the contributions made to science by Fixman and Ladanyi. Fixman was one of the pioneers in the field of polymeric fluids. Using computer simulations, he was able to make breakthroughs regarding polymer liquids. Through his personal interactions and writings, Fixman taught and inspired several generations of physical chemists. Ladanyi was the only woman faculty member in the chemistry department for the first eight years she was at CSU. Her research was mostly focused in the areas of theoretical and computational physical chemistry. As a researcher, she was a role model to others in the department including Nancy Levinger, professor and University Distinguished Teaching Scholar. Nancy says, “I feel deep gratitude for the scientific and professional guidance she gave to me.” Together, the two have left a great impact during their time at CSU and on the scientific community.
