Karen Goldberg, the Vagelos Professor of Energy Research, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Prof. Goldberg joined Penn in 2017 from the University of Washington, where she was the Nicole A. Boand Endowed Professor in Chemistry. She received her A.B. degree from Barnard College, Columbia University and her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Following postdoctoral study at Ohio State University, she joined the faculty at Illinois State University before moving to the University of Washington.
Prof. Goldberg's research aims to develop new catalytic systems to efficiently produce chemicals and fuels. By gaining a deep, mechanistic understanding of fundamental organometallic reactions, her work has the potential to lead to more sustainable sources of energy as well as other valuable organic products.
Prof. Goldberg also serves as Director of the new Vagelos Center for Energy Research.