Jacqueline Barton Selected to Receive the Welch Award in Chemistry

Jacqueline K. Barton, the John G. Kirkwood and Arthur A. Noyes Professor of Chemistry, Emerita at the California Institute of Technology, has received the 2023 Welch Award in Chemistry. The award is meant to “encourage and recognize basic chemical research for the benefit of mankind,” according to the Robert A. Welch Foundation, which presents the award.

“The Welch Award is a tremendous honor, and it is really the result of the great work of my dedicated co-workers,” Dr. Barton said. Along with the award, Professor Barton will also receive $500,000 and a gold medallion.

In her career of over four decades, Dr. Barton’s research has focused in particular on the chemistry of DNA, using specialized transition metal complexes to probe its reactions.

Professor Barton is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine. She has been a MacArthur Fellow and was awarded the National Medal of Science.

Dr. Barton holds a bachelor’s degree from Barnard College in New York City and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.