Chemistry's Theresa Reineke Named Lowenstein Scholar

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Theresa Reineke speaks frankly about her love for research, teaching and her students.

So for those who have watched her career progress, it’s frankly no surprise that Reineke has been named a Lowenstein Scholar. The three-year honor, which comes with a research stipend, is awarded to an outstanding Chemistry Department faculty member within 10 years of the completion of their PhD.

Theresa Reineke, Chemistry, has been named a Lowenstein Scholar.

It is “awarded in recognition of their promise and early success in making fundamental contributions to new knowledge in the field of chemistry,” said Pat Limbach, acting department head.

The research stipend will be paid through the Diana Lowenstein Fund. The fund was set up through the estate of Rosette S. Lowenstein in 1955, under the will of Arthur Lowenstein, for research in chemistry.

And research acumen is just one way Reineke stands out: She has been extremely successful, colleagues said, at obtaining external funding for an ongoing research program. That work is focused on creating new sugar-based polymers to deliver DNA-based drugs and imaging agents for therapeutic and disease diagnostic purposes.

“Theresa’s success at securing major grants for her research clearly shows that her research program is competitive with the best in the country,” said William Heineman, distinguished research professor.

Her teaching and research go hand-in-hand, and she enjoys both, Reineke said. In 2005, she was one of 24 faculty members nationwide receiving a Beckman Young Investigator award. The $264,000 grant comes from a program supporting promising professionals in the early stages of academic careers in chemical and life sciences.

“Even when I am not formally teaching classes, I am continuously guiding my graduate students and post-docs in their research work,” Reineke said. “I review their papers, talks, and am always discussing science with them. I love my position and am always inspired by my students and have learned so much from them.”

“I was blessed with some outstanding graduate students from the start and have to credit their hard work and diligence – I cannot stress this enough.”

It’s a mutual admiration society: “Her grad students are inspired by her,” Limbach said.

Reineke earned her undergraduate degree from University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, her master’s at Arizona State University and a PhD at University of Michigan, where she studied with Dr. Omar Yaghi.

One of the most important things about Reineke as a faculty member is “that she’s one of several young faculty that we want to build the future of the department around,” Limbach said.

“For example, one of our fundraising goals is to build our research excellence around a core strength in medicinal-related chemistry we already have in-house. She’s one of the young faculty we have there; Dave Smithrud is another, and Suri Iyer is a third.”

The Chemistry Department, Limbach said, doesn’t have a lot of titles, chairs or professorships – all of which, he said, go a long way when someone’s having a grant reviewed or is invited to give talks. And while the Lowenstein Scholar is only a start, Limbach is working to increase the numbers of titled positions within the department.

Such an award brings up the external perception of the department, Reineke and Limbach agree.

“Definitely, the recognition is important to me both on a professional level and a personal level,” Reineke said.

“My graduate students and post-docs are the people who do most of the laboratory work now and they see the benefits of what they have accomplished … I must say that I couldn't have accomplished anything without all of the generosity and mentoring of my colleagues.”

For a more detailed description of the Reineke Group’s research, click here.