The UGA Department of Chemistry welcomes Dr. Aaron Aponick as the next Head of the Department, effective November 1, 2025. Dr. Aponick earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Lebanon Valley College in 1998 and completed his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at the University of Michigan in 2003, where he was recognized as an Eastman Kodak and ACS Division of Organic Chemistry Fellow. He went on to conduct postdoctoral research at Stanford University as a National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral Fellow. He began his independent academic career at the University of Florida in 2006 and most recently served as the inaugural Katritzky Professor of Heterocyclic Chemistry. Dr. Aponick has also held several key leadership roles, including Director of Graduate Studies and Director of the Florida Center for Heterocyclic Compounds. Additionally, he chaired the Florida Heterocyclic and Synthetic Conferences (FloHet), elevating the event into a nationally recognized meeting for synthetic chemists. Dr. Aponick brings to UGA a deep commitment to research excellence, graduate education, and collaborative leadership, and we look forward to welcoming him to the UGA Chemistry community.
