The Brown Science Foundation announced Miller Professor in Organic Chemistry David Nagib was named one of seven recipients of the annual Brown Investigator Award. The award recognizes curiosity-driven basic research in chemistry and physics and supports investigators’ research with up to $2 million over five years to their respective universities. Each winner was nominated by their institution and chosen from a candidate pool of mid-career scientists at top-rated research universities.

“I am grateful that by supporting our research program at Ohio State, the foundation is investing in the land-grant, public-school mission of democratizing education and research,” Nagib said.

Nagib joined the faculty at Ohio State in 2014 as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. He was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2020 and his research of radical-mediated C-H and C-O functionalization has been recognized with awards by multiple groups and organizations.

“The scientists receiving the 2023 Brown Investigator Award are path-breaking researchers who have developed innovative approaches to address fundamental questions in the physical sciences,” said France Córdova, president of Science Philanthropy Alliance. “I know I speak for the foundation’s eponymous founder when I say we can’t wait to see the discoveries they will make and how their careers will evolve.”

The Brown Science Foundation, a Science Philanthropy Alliance member, is dedicated to the belief that scientific discovery is a driving force in the improvement of the human condition. Established in 1992 by Ross M. Brown, the foundation announced its invitation-only Brown Investigator Award program in 2020 with plans to make eight awards annually by 2025. The program supports the often-overlooked resource of mid-career physics and chemistry researchers in the U.S.

“My favorite part of research these days is seeing that look in my students’ eyes when they are eager to share their newest data and I suspect this will cause many more such beaming moments of new discovery,” Nagib said.