Greg Engel, Assistant Professor in Chemistry at the University of Chicago, is one of 15 scientists nationwide who has been named a 2009 Searle Scholar. The honor carries $300,000 in support of Engel's research over the next three years.
This year, 178 applications were considered from recently appointed assistant professors, nominated by 120 universities and research institutions.
A scientific advisory board of 12 scientists distinguished for their research and leadership in the chemical and biological sciences made recommendations for the final selection of scholars.
Engel is studying how protein structure steers energy transfer and drives reactivity inside photoenzymes. Earlier this year, he received a $300,000 grant from the Air Force's Young Investigator Research Program.
The funds that support the Searle awards come from trusts established under the wills of John and Frances Searle. Mr. Searle was president of G.D. Searle & Co. of Skokie, Ill., a research-based pharmaceutical company. The Searles had expressed their wish that some of the proceeds of their estates be used to support research in medicine, chemistry and biological science.
