Thomas Teets, chemist at the University of Houston’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) has been appointed to the Robert A. Welch Chair in Chemistry. Established in the 1960s through matching funds provided jointly by The Welch Foundation and universities, the endowed position supports outstanding, active research scientists advancing basic chemistry and allied sciences in Texas.
Teets becomes the latest faculty leader to hold the long-standing chair. He plans to use the chair's flexible resources to expand his laboratory's pioneering work in photochemistry.
“Tom has established himself as an outstanding scientist, scholar and emerging leader at the University of Houston,” said Gregory Dudley, dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
Shoujun Xu, chair of the Department of Chemistry, agrees. “Professor Teets is an internationally regarded photochemist, superb teacher and highly respected research mentor,” said Xu. “I look forward to seeing Tom’s continued success in research and teaching as the new Welch Chair.”
For Teets, the honor belongs as much to his team as to himself. “With anything in research, it's important to acknowledge that the accomplishments that we have are really made possible by the students and postdocs that are doing the research here,” said Teets. “I didn't get here by myself.”
Illuminating New Frontiers in Photochemistry
Teets’ research program at UH focuses heavily on photochemistry, the branch of chemistry that investigates interactions of light with chemical compounds. His lab explores innovative synthetic strategies to discover photochemically active molecules relevant to multiple chemical applications, including organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) used in modern smartphones and display screens, as well as solar energy conversion techniques designed to capture sunlight and transform it into useful forms of energy.
When launching his laboratory at UH, early graduate students and researchers took the work in creative, unexpected directions that expanded the group's scientific focus.
With the flexible research funding provided by the Welch Chair, Teets and his group gain the funding and support to expand their current efforts and venture into groundbreaking new research areas. “It's a great opportunity to keep growing in a lot of ways for myself personally, but also for the whole group that I work with,” said Teets.
He views the appointment not as a final achievement, but as momentum toward long-term goals. “The vote of confidence that it represents from the leadership in the department and NSM certainly means a lot to me,” said Teets.
Dean Dudley marks the appointment as a huge accomplishment and an investment into the future of the college. “We can build around Tom’s scientific leadership to attract talent, foster new collaborations and elevate our research enterprise.”