On April 25, the Department of Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery (ICB&DD), and the College of Arts and Sciences celebrated Véronique Gouverneur with the 2025 Ojima Distinguished Lectureship Award. The event took place at the Charles B. Wang Center.
The award was established in 2020 to honor Professor Iwao Ojima’s 75th birthday, funded by an endowment from the Ojima family. This initiative aims to support eminent scholars like Véronique Gouverneur in contributing to Stony Brook University's academic environment.
Stanislaus Wong, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry, opened the ceremony by acknowledging Professor Iwao Ojima and his wife Yoko for their generosity and philanthropic contributions over the years. Wong expressed appreciation for Professor Ojima's role as a mentor and esteemed colleague within the department.
Jeffrey Lipshultz, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, introduced Véronique Gouverneur who delivered a lecture titled “Rethinking Fluorine Chemistry with Global Challenges in Mind.”
Gouverneur's academic journey began with a PhD from Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium under Léon Ghosez. She then completed postdoctoral research at Scripps with Richard Lerner before returning to Europe as a lecturer at University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg. In 1998, she joined Oxford University where she advanced to Waynflete Professor by 2022. That same year, she founded FluoRok to commercialize advances from her lab.
Her accolades include prestigious awards such as the Davy Medal from the Royal Society in 2024 and several others recognizing her contributions to fluorine chemistry. She is also a Fellow of various scientific societies including the Royal Society (FRS) since 2019.
Gouverneur's research focuses on new strategies for synthesizing fluorine-containing molecules beneficial across life sciences and materials science sectors like PET imaging. Her recent work includes developing sustainable methods for fluoride production relevant to medicine and battery technology while addressing global challenges like decarbonization.
The award plaque was presented by Professor Ojima following Gouverneur's lecture.
Professor Iwao Ojima holds degrees from The University of Tokyo and has been part of Stony Brook University's faculty since 1983. He has received numerous honors for his contributions to chemical sciences including awards from the American Chemical Society across four disciplines.
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