Karen L. Wooley, Ph.D., professor of chemistry in Arts & Sciences, has been named a James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor in Arts & Sciences. A formal installation ceremony will be Dec. 7.
Wooley is the fourth Arts & Sciences professor to be named a McDonnell Distinguished University Professor. She joins Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., chair of earth and planetary sciences, Henry L. “Roddy” Roediger, Ph.D., in psychology and Clifford M. Will, Ph.D., in physics.
“The McDonnell family has been extremely generous to Washington University, and their contributions have led to major research and program initiatives,” Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton said. “We are truly grateful and indebted to the McDonnell family for their interest in Washington University, both past and present.
“I am very excited that Karen Wooley has been selected as a James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor. She is an innovator in research and education and a leader in her field.”
The James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professorship honors the late James S. McDonnell (1899-1980), aviation pioneer and founder of McDonnell Aircraft Corp. “Mr. Mac” served for many years as a University trustee and chairman of the Board of Trustees.
His interest in and support of the University are evident from the first professorship he established — in the space sciences in 1964 — to the establishment of the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences in 1975, and many other valuable contributions, especially in the area of genetics and studies of the human mind and brain.
His sons, John F. McDonnell and James S. McDonnell III, both trustees of the JSM Charitable Trust, have followed their father in their careers and in their service to higher education.
“Recognizing Karen Wooley’s outstanding career by associating it with the McDonnell legacy at Washington University couldn’t be more appropriate,” said Edward S. Macias, Ph.D., executive vice chancellor, dean of Arts & Sciences and the Barbara and David Thomas Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences. “Professor Wooley is a popular, effective teacher; a successful, well-known scholar; and a generous, selfless University citizen — all qualities we honor with this professorship.
“Her achievements and leadership are much appreciated, and I look forward to her career’s continued growth.”
Wooley is known for her creative approaches to the design and preparation of well-defined polymer materials.
One of her seminal contributions involved the creation of nanometer-scale synthetic polymer particles and hollowed nanocages, each of which was inspired by the structures and functions of virus particles. She continues to investigate these materials to develop their potential as vessels for medical diagnostics and delivery agents.
Together with a number of collaborators, Wooley recently received a $12.6 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health to establish a Program of Excellence in Nanotechnology.
The goals of this program include the development of a research and educational infrastructure directed toward the study of nanoscale agents that can be used to diagnose and treat acute pulmonary and cardiovascular injury.
In a significantly different direction, she has taken a non-traditional approach toward materials engineered to exhibit marine anti-fouling behaviors.
By incorporating nanoscopic features having high degrees of complexity to the surfaces of coatings, her laboratory has produced novel materials that are outperforming commercial products.
Wooley has numerous awards and honors to her credit, including the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award in Organic Chemistry; Young Investigator Awards from the National Science Foundation, the Army Research Office and the Office of Naval Research; and the Academy of Science of Saint Louis Innovation Award.
This past fall, she received the University’s Distinguished Faculty Award at Founder’s Day.
In addition to the innovative, rigorous, multidisciplinary research program she has established, she is an enthusiastic, award-winning teacher and mentor. She has actively involved students at all levels in research and established avenues for her students to broaden their experiences through external and international study and internships.
Most pre-medical students and chemistry majors know Wooley: She teaches organic chemistry courses in addition to a course on synthetic polymer chemistry.
She also developed a course for science teachers in the greater St. Louis area that allows the experimental and fun side of science to be demonstrated and studied through hands-on activities.
In addition to her extensive advising at the University, Wooley has been an active contributor and adviser to the national and international scientific communities.
She has served on several University committees, including the Arts & Sciences’ Committee on Tenure, Promotion and Personnel and the Chemistry-Biology Interface Steering Committee.
Since 2003, she has served as an editor of the Journal of Polymer Science, Part A: Polymer Chemistry, and she has served on the editorial advisory boards for numerous scientific journals of a broad range of specializations.
She holds positions on the advisory boards and committees for the National Science Foundation’s National Nanoscale Infrastructure Network and the National Institutes of Health’s Nanomedicine Development Centers.
Wooley has also organized many prestigious national and international conferences to facilitate exchange of knowledge and establishment of collaborative relationships.
Wooley earned an undergraduate degree in chemistry from Oregon State University and a doctorate from Cornell University in polymer and organic chemistry.
She joined Washington University in 1993 as assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 1999.