Nine university faculty members across the country recently received the 2024 Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar award — a competitive award that honors early-career faculty in the chemical sciences who are deeply committed to their fields and mentoring their students. Two of the recipients are Spiders.

Miles Johnson, a University of Richmond chemistry professor, was one of the nine awardees. Johnson’s research focuses on metal catalysts, particularly nickel. The award includes a $75,000 research grant from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation.

“This award will support the work of many research students over the next few years,” Johnson said. “These students will continue to study aspects of organometallic chemistry that are of value in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals.”

Johnson graduated from the University of Richmond with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry in 2009 and completed his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. He became a faculty member at UR in 2016.

“Miles is committed to advancing the boundaries of knowledge in his field,” said Jon Dattelbaum, chair of UR’s Department of Chemistry. “He’s also a dedicated mentor, creating enriching research opportunities that help his students see themselves grow and succeed as scientists.”

One of the other recipients of the Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar awards is Seann Mulcahy, a chemistry professor at Providence College in Rhode Island. Mulcahy, a 2004 UR alum, said the training and mentorship he received directly from faculty members during his time at UR launched his career path.

“I have so many fond memories of my undergraduate experience at the University of Richmond. I had my first exposure to original research and really learned to love solving problems in the laboratory,” said Mulcahy.

“I had such a great experience at UR that I couldn't imagine a better career than being a faculty member at a primarily undergraduate institution, so, receiving this award really reflects the strong mentorship that I received at UR and that which I hope to provide to my own students at Providence College,” he said.