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Neil Garg receives inaugural ACS David A. Evans Award
He was honored for pioneering research and transformative organic chemistry education at UCLA.
Neil Garg. / Image – UCLA
A distinguished professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Neil Garg, has been awarded the 2025 David A. Evans Award for the Advancement and Education of Organic Synthesis.
Garg is the first recipient of this national honor, which was established in 2023 by the American Chemical Society (ACS) to recognize excellence in both research and education within the field of organic synthesis.
The award is named after David A. Evans, a former UCLA faculty member and a towering figure in organic chemistry, whose distinguished career spanned positions at UCLA, Caltech, and Harvard University. The award includes a $5,000 prize and will be presented to Garg at the ACS Spring 2025 meeting in San Diego, CA, on March 25.
“Dave Evans was a giant in our field and an inspiration to all of us. It is an immense honor – not just for me, but also for all members of my lab – for our collective efforts in research and education to be recognized with this award,” said Garg. “Before I accepted my offer to join the UCLA faculty in 2007, I spoke to Evans, who then assured me that UCLA would be the perfect place for my career to flourish.”
Currently the Kenneth N. Trueblood Professor of Chemistry at UCLA, Garg has earned widespread recognition for his innovative research, particularly in challenging established paradigms of chemical reactivity. His lab's recent work, including the 2023 synthesis of lissodendoric acid A, has made significant contributions to the field.
The study, published in “Science”, featured an unstable cyclic allene intermediate, a novel approach that garnered attention across the scientific community.
In addition to his research, Garg is a celebrated educator,whose courses are renowned for their accessibility and impact, with one large pre-health course being named one of Los Angeles' best by “LA Weekly”. His efforts extend beyond the classroom, with online educational tools and outreach programs like “Chem Kids” camp, which introduces children to organic chemistry.
Garg’s educational qualification includes a Bachelors of Science degree from New York University, Ph.D from California institute of technology. He is also a NIH postdoctoral fellow at University of California, Irvine.
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