Texas A&M Chemistry Wooley Research GroupDepartment of Chemistry
News & Awards

Lab Milestones

Awards, publications, outreach, defenses, collaborations, and group updates from the saved and current Wooley site content.

Latest

2026

Professor Karen L. Wooley

Dr. Karen L. Wooley awarded the Pauling Medal and the Nichols Medal

Wooley has been named the recipient of the 2026 Pauling Medal Award, administered by the Puget Sound, Oregon and Portland Sections of the American Chemical Society, and the 2027 William H. Nichols Medal, administered by the New York Section of the American Chemical Society. The Pauling Medal, named for Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling, recognizes outstanding achievement in chemistry meriting national and international recognition; the Nichols Medal, the first award authorized by the ACS, honors original research in chemistry.

Texas A&M announcement

Gavin Moore and Dr. Geoff Abbott collecting sediment samples on a beach near Newcastle for the ITV News nurdle spill story
Still: ITV News Tyne Tees (2026).

Gavin Moore appears on ITV News in the UK

Graduate student Gavin Moore appeared on ITV News Tyne Tees in the UK while sampling the Newcastle nurdle spill with Dr. Geoff Abbott of Newcastle University.

Watch the ITV News segment

REU student Logan Edler standing beside his research poster on hyperspectral imaging and machine learning for microplastics

Logan Edler presents REU summer research

REU student Logan Edler presented his summer research on hyperspectral fluorescence imaging and machine learning for the identification and classification of microplastics in tissues.

View Poster Here

Graphical abstract showing catechol-functionalized redox-active polypeptides for sustainable energy storage
Li, Gillett, Kuo et al., Biomacromolecules (2026), CC BY 4.0.

Mussel-inspired materials advance sustainable battery research

The American Peptide Society highlighted the group’s study of catechol-functionalized polypeptides made from natural feedstocks. The materials combine redox activity, adhesion, low flammability, cytocompatibility, and degradability for sustainable energy-storage applications.

American Peptide Society feature Research article

Dani Noggle

Dani Noggle completes their preliminary exam

Congratulations to Dani on successfully completing their preliminary examination.

Gavin Moore receiving the Best Oral Presentation award at the 16th annual Geology and Geophysics Symposium

Gavin Moore wins Best Oral Presentation

Gavin Moore received the 16th annual Geology and Geophysics Symposium's Best Oral Presentation award for research linking microplastic dispersion in river and beach sediment in South Africa to a major plastic nurdle spill.

Wooley group members enjoying dinner at Porters with Bowen Zhao

Wooley group dinner with Bowen Zhao

The Wooley group enjoyed an amazing dinner at Porters with Bowen Zhao from the University of Miami, FL.

Wooley group celebration

Dr. Karen L. Wooley elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Wooley was elected to the NAE Class of 2026 for discovering sustainable macromolecules and assemblies that improve the use and impact of plastics on society and the environment. She is the first woman at Texas A&M to hold membership in both the NAE and the National Academy of Sciences.

Texas A&M announcement TAMEST announcement

TAMEST award photo

2026 TAMEST Hill Prize in Physical Sciences

Dr. Wooley and Teysha Technologies Managing Director Matthew Stone received the $500,000 Hill Prize for work that transforms agricultural waste into safe, degradable plastics and chemicals. Senthil K. Boopathi and Ashlee A. Jahnke are team members.

TAMEST announcement Texas A&M story

Leyla Gillett

Leyla Gillett awarded a 2026 Heep Graduate Fellowship

Congratulations to graduate student Leyla Gillett for receiving a 2026 Heep Graduate Fellowship. Leyla will collaborate with Dr. Alison Butler of UC Santa Barbara through the fellowship.

LSBI spectral microscopy workshop

LSBI hosts a spectral microscopy workshop

The Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions hosted a spectral microscopy workshop for researchers and students.

Archive

2025

Similarity-learning model that classifies microplastics from micro-FTIR spectra
Image: Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions – Texas A&M.

New machine-learning method for identifying microplastics

The Wooley lab developed a new machine-learning method for identifying microplastics from microFTIR spectra.

Texas A&M research update Research article

New Wooley lab members

Welcome Fall 2025 incoming graduate students

Welcome to Molly Bickle, Chong-Yan Chen, Nehal Fatima, Vivian Guo, and Veru Müllerová.

Figure from the 2025 PNAS study of a degradable riboflavin-containing polypeptide for energy storage
Li et al., PNAS (2025), CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Biodegradable battery based on vitamin B2 and L-glutamic acid

The Wooley lab produced a biodegradable battery based on natural materials that could help replace conventional lithium-ion battery components.

Texas A&M story Research article

Mick Kuo prelim celebration

Mick Kuo completes his preliminary exam

Congratulations to Mick Kuo for his successful prelim.

TAMU REACT chemistry outreach

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TAMU REACT summer program

The Wooley lab, the Department of Chemistry, and the Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions helped host the inaugural REACT @ TAMU Chemistry program for 16 high school students.

Texas A&M story

Dr. Soon-Mi Lim at the 2025 University Distinguished Achievement Awards
Photo © 2025 Butch Ireland Photography.

Dr. Soon-Mi Lim receives the 2025 University Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching

Congratulations to Dr. Soon-Mi Lim for receiving Texas A&M’s University Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching.

Archive

2024 and Earlier

Aggie STEM summer camp

Aggie STEM summer camp

The Wooley lab hosted hands-on activities with polymers at the Aggie STEM summer camp.

Chemistry summer camp dry run

Chemistry summer camp dry run

The Wooley lab and the Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions hosted a dry run for Chemistry Summer Camp.

Green Lab certification

Certified Green Lab gold ranking

The Wooley lab received gold ranking as a Certified Green Lab.

Freshness

News review

This page was reviewed on against the official Wooley Research Group, Texas A&M, TAMEST, and American Peptide Society sources. Send corrections or new milestones to wooley@chem.tamu.edu.