The Welch Foundation in Houston has announced nearly $28 million its 2023 chemistry research grant funding.

The funds will be allocated over the next three years, with annual payouts of $9 million to colleges and universities across Texas. Since its inception, the foundation has contributed nearly $1.1 billion to the advancement of chemistry.

Grants were awarded to Feliciano Gustino, a professor at Oden Institute for Computational Engineering and Sciences at the University of Texas in Austin, in support of his team’s efforts to interpret the origin of light absorption and emission in halide perovskites and related materials; Kayunta Johnson-Winters, associate professor in the chemistry and biochemistry department at the University of Texas at Arlington, in support of research on a new class of sugar metabolizing enzymes in pathogenic microbes such as the causative agent of tuberculosis, Mycobacteria tuberculosis; and Haotian Wang, an assistant professor in the chemical and biomolecular department at Rice University, in support of research on the conversion of carbon dioxide into useful chemicals, such as ethanol, to support sustainable chemistry strategies.

“The Welch Foundation continues to emphasize the creative pursuit of basic chemical research,” said Welch Foundation president Adam Kuspa. “Our funding allows investigators throughout the state to follow their curiosity and explore the foundations chemical processes. We look forward to seeing the discovery and innovation that comes from this year’s grant recipients’ efforts.”

For a complete list of institutions receiving grants, see the Welch Foundation website.

(Photo credit: Getty Images/sanjeri)