Contact: Portia Agyapong

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s new head of the Department of Chemistry in the university’s College of Arts and Sciences originally hails from England, but most recently was a University of Texas at Arlington faculty member with more than 20 years of experience in organic chemistry and biochemistry.

Professor Carl Lovely began his MSU role on August 1. He served as the chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UTA for three years and also was associate chair.

 “I am excited about the possibilities he will open for us as we chart a course that expands our basic research and our impact on this state, its people and the students at this university. I am convinced that we will benefit from his leadership of the chemistry department,” said MSU Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Rick Travis.

“He has an accomplished record as a scholar with more than 100 published scholarly articles and a strong record of extramural funding, having received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and other foundations. This record of scholarly success is vital as he leads one of the most grant-active, successful departments in the college,” Travis said.

Lovely said with the chemistry department already excelling in both teaching and research, he plans to “maintain the momentum in a positive direction, which means staying out of the way and creating a supportive environment where colleagues can do what they do best.”

“I hope that under my leadership, the department gains a broader reputation locally and nationally as one where high-quality teaching, research and service to the community takes place—a department where faculty, staff and students want to belong and one that attracts and retains the very best people,” Lovely said. “Perhaps the most important thing, though, is working with the administration to develop competitive compensation packages to recruit and retain top graduate students. These students are the life blood of the department who play a crucial role in both the research and educational enterprises of our department and university as a whole.”

Lovely has a professional membership with the American Chemical Society. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry with a focus in organic chemistry and his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Birmingham in England. His primary research and teaching interests are organic chemistry and synthetic organic chemistry.

Lovely’s work has appeared in journals and publications such as Tetrahedron Letters, Molecules, Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry and European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry.

MSU’s Department of Chemistry prepares students for a range of careers in healthcare, manufacturing, technology and academics. The Master of Science degree prepares students for further graduate studies and industry-based careers in chemical and pharmaceuticals companies. The Ph.D. program is a research-based degree that prepares students for careers as scholars and researchers. Part of MSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, complete details about the department may be found at www.chemistry.msstate.edu.  

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