Zlatko Bačić:  Tectonic Science

“When two people limited to different ways of thinking come together, you have a synergy that couldn’t exist otherwise,” says Zlatko Bačić PhD’81, speaking on the vital importance of collaborating across the divisions of science. First-hand experience with this synergy is deeply embedded in his history, from serving as the inaugural director of the Simon Center for Computational Physical Chemistry to studying the quantum dynamics of molecules in Los Alamos

He compares the sciences to tectonic plates, constantly moving in varying directions, uncovering the most exciting discoveries where they collide at the edges. “It’s at those interfaces that the most interesting things happen!” he explains. And just as the Earth’s plates change the landscape, so too can the scientific landscape be terraformed in turn.

Bačić’s journey has not only taken him across the field of theoretical chemistry but across the world, studying everywhere from Croatia to Chicago to Jerusalem to Utah. He found a deep love of the culture and cuisine of New York and Philadelphia, while also delighting in the environment and people in the Four Corners area. He loves the town of Telluride,Colorado but also enjoys visiting his daughter in Seattle, creating a bewildering decision when considering a destination for a far-out retirement. He takes every opportunity he can to travel and experience every area to its fullest potential.

Bačić carries this attitude into his teaching as well. As a current professor at New York University, he has uplifted the lives of countless students and overseen the publication of over 150 papers. “Basic research is at the heart of everything,” he tells his students. “If you think you can guide it somehow, you’re missing the point. It is only unguided research that will illuminate the mysteries you know nothing about.” Championing the value of “unguided research,” he delights in providing opportunities for postdocs, creating an environment for them to prove their worth, opening every door for collaboration to let them show what they can do under optimal circumstances. ~ Michael Jacobsen

Amy Barrios: A world-class education

A Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the College of Pharmacy, Amy Barrios’ passion for inorganic chemistry began at the University of Utah as a high schooler during a summer chemistry program and propelled her through a career in academia to Professor of Medicinal Chemistry in the U College of Pharmacy.

Barrios BS'95 grew up in Salt Lake City. During her time as an undergrad, she engaged in radiobiology research about Chernobyl victims with radiobiologist Scott Miller, now research professor emeritus at the U's School of Medicine.

Barrios ventured from Salt Lake to the East coast to earn her PhD in chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2000. There, she dove deeper into bio-inorganic chemistry with Steve Leopard. “My focus was on making molecules that would mimic the activity of metalloenzymes. And I specifically looked at urease, which was actually the first enzyme ever discovered,” says Barrios. “I was making dinuclear nickel complexes that hydrolyzed urea.”

After graduate school, Barrios returned to the west coast and spent some time in California, first in a postdoctoral position at University of California, San Francisco, and later as a professor at University of Southern California.

Finally, Barrios returned home to the U in 2007, this time as a professor. Throughout her education and career, Barrios has visited many institutions and says she’s “...continually impressed by the quality of education that I got here at the U.”

“Our chemistry department, particularly, does an amazing job of educating undergraduates and graduate students, helping us understand all the things we need to know, all the tools we need to go on to be successful in whatever career we go into. So that's something I think is important for our students to recognize: they really get a world class education here.”

Barrios is keen to deliver a message of belonging as she continues in academia. “It's so important, I think, for students to be able to feel like they belong here,” she says. “We need scientists from all backgrounds and with all kinds of different interests and all kinds of different skills. So, I think that's really important also for young people to recognize and for us as faculty and instructors to help them feel that this is a place for them, that we need their talents, and their talents are valued. I hope that they get that message here.”
~ Lauren Wigod

Roger Leach: lifelong learning and agility

Originally from Chicago, Roger Leach Phd'84 first journeyed to the University of Utah for a summer REU program while pursuing his undergraduate degree in chemistry from Augustana College in Illinois. The program allowed him to explore hands-on scientific research for the first time and, captivated by the unique outdoor access and balanced lifestyle he enjoyed in Salt Lake, City Leach returned to the U for graduate school.

Reflecting on his time here, Leach fondly remembers Joel Harris, a distinguished professor whose openly enthusiastic teaching style and love for science still inspire Leach today. “Everything about it was like, the door’s open, walk in, and let’s talk,’ he recalls. “My whole career after Utah, that was sort of my motto you know, ‘What would Joel do?’”

After finishing his graduate degree at the U, Leach began his career working as an analytical chemist in the textile fibers department at DuPont. Though he recalls the initial nerves he felt upon joining the company, Leach acknowledges the U for preparing him well: “[At Dupont], you could meet people who had really moved the bar in terms of technology development that made people’s lives better. So I felt intimidated a little bit, but there was never a time when I felt inferior in terms of my education and preparation.”

Since his days at DuPont, Leach’s career has led him to Viridos, a biotech company focused on algae-based biofuel. For the last few years, Leach has been helping to push the boundaries of renewable energy technology, hoping to create a more sustainable future. Currently a resident of Solana Beach, California, Leach emphasizes the importance of continuing to foster curiosity throughout his career: “The thing that strikes me is how many things we understand today and use today in our daily lives that didn't exist when I was at the University of Utah,” he remarks.

“And the process of keeping yourself relevant as a STEM contributor to society is an exercise in lifelong learning and agility.”
~Julia St. Andre

Mitch Johnson:  reinventing and modernizing formulations

Mitch Johnson first joined the University of Utah as a graduate student in 1994 after finishing his undergraduate degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. He knew he was interested in doing research and was drawn by the U’s outstanding research facilities and small university feel. During graduate school, Johnson worked in Joel Miller’s lab where he gained valuable skills in problem-solving and perseverance. “If I had like four or five ideas, Dr. Miller was very patient and listened to all of them,” Johnson recalls. “I learned that you have to put the work in. You really do have to spend the time and invest yourself completely into solving the problem.” 

For Johnson, chemistry truly runs in the family. His father, a chemical engineer, sparked his interest in the subject at a young age. Later, at the U, he met his wife, who was also pursuing a degree in chemistry. Their shared passion for the field often sparks discussion over dinner, and they even keep a whiteboard nearby for spontaneous problem-solving. Fascinated with creating things and solving problems, synthetic chemistry was the ideal path for Johnson. His career took him to General Plastics, developing specialized thermoplastic materials for use in aerospace engineering and satellite work. He started at the company in 2008 as a product development chemist, with the mission of reinventing and modernizing their formulations. Since then, the company has expanded significantly, and Johnson made his way through the ranks, eventually taking over the company as President and CEO in 2017. 

Looking back on his education, Johnson emphasizes the lasting impact of his time at the U: “The staff and faculty here are fantastic. They really do cultivate very good students and very well-trained professionals.” he says. “A lot of the success I’ve had over my career, it all started here at the U.”
~ Julia St. Andre