Marye Anne Fox, University of California San Diego, received the 2009 National Medal of Science medal from President Obama on November 17, 2010. Photo by Ryan K. Morris Photography

Biography Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Marye Anne Fox, a world-renowned chemist, was the seventh chancellor of the University of California, San Diego and is a distinguished professor of chemistry. During her appointment as chancellor of UC San Diego, the university established new research and partnership ventures to further innovation and increase international collaboration, achieved an ambitious $1 billion campaign goal, expanded academic and campus programs and facilities, received national and international recognition in prominent university rankings and assembled a strong, diverse leadership team to ensure the university’s continued rise in excellence.

Before her appointment as UC San Diego’s Chancellor, Fox served as North Carolina State University's 12th chancellor, as distinguished university professor of chemistry at NC State (from 1998 to 2004) and as Waggoner Regents Chair in chemistry and Vice President for Research at the University of Texas at Austin. She joined the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin in 1976, after a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Maryland. Fox received her B.S. from Notre Dame College and her Ph.D. from Dartmouth College, both in chemistry. She has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and to fellowships both in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association of Advancement of Science. In October 2010, President Barack Obama named Fox to receive the National Medal of Science, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on scientists, engineers and inventors. She has also received honorary degrees from 12 institutions in the U.S. and abroad. Fox was born in Canton, Ohio in 1947.

Teaching

Fox has taught courses in chemistry, ranging from lower division to advanced graduate levels. The University of Texas Magazine named her “Best of University of Texas Natural Science Faculty.” In 1986, she won the Teaching Excellence Award in her college. In 1996, she won Sigma Xi's Monie A. Ferst Award in recognition of outstanding mentoring of graduate students. So far, 27 doctoral and 15 masters’ degrees have been awarded under her guidance. At the national level, she is a frequent lecturer on science education policy and reform. She has served as co-chair of a National Science Foundation/National Science Board Task Force on Graduate Education and on Texas, Louisiana, and National Research Council advisory panels for systemic improvement of K-12 science and mathematics education, and teacher training.

Research

Fox is one of the nation’s most creative physical organic chemists, having published extensively in organic photochemistry and electrochemistry. Her work has clear application in materials science, solar energy conversion and environmental chemistry. She has been elected to membership in the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and to fellowships in both the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. From the American Chemical Society, she has received the Garvan Award and the Southwest Regional Award, and has been named Arthur C. Cope Scholar. She has received international research awards in Spain, Holland, Germany and Russia, and was cited by Esquire Magazine as “Best of the New Generation.” She has been a Sloan Research Fellow and a Dreyfus Teacher Scholar, and was named by the New York Academy of Sciences in 1999 as an Outstanding Woman in Science.

Service

Fox currently serves on the Council on Competitiveness, Building Engineering and Science Talent (BEST), the Association of American Universities (AAU), National Security – Higher Education Advisory Board, World Universities Network (WUN), Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and APRU’s World Institute (AWI), University of California President’s Board on Science and Innovation, the Chemical Heritage Foundation, the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation’s Scientific Affairs Committee, and the Robert A. Welch Foundation Scientific Advisory Board. She serves on the board of directors of W.R. Grace, Inc., Red Hat and Boston Scientific. She has served on 14 editorial boards, including a stint as associate editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. She is the recipient of the Charles Lathrop Parson Award for 2005 from the American Chemical Society, in recognition of outstanding public service.