0000-0002-1239-9560
Elizabeth Elacqua
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Beth was born and raised in upstate New York, and received her B.S. Degree in Chemistry and Biology from Le Moyne College (Syracuse, NY) in 2006. There, she conducted research focused on the synthesis of porphyrins, as well as on the total synthesis of natural products such as polyphenolic stilbenoids. After spending a year at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry working in the lab of Dr. Israel Cabasso at the Michael Szwarc Polymer Research Institute, she ventured to the University of Iowa for graduate school. At Iowa, Beth worked at the interface of organic synthesis, solid-state chemistry, supramolecular chemistry, and photochemistry in the research group of Leonard R. MacGillivray, and received her Ph.D. in 2012. After graduation, Beth headed back to the great state of New York where she started as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at New York University working alongside Marcus Weck. At NYU, Beth utilized her background in organic synthesis and supramolecular chemistry to develop β-sheet-mimicking telechelic polymers for self-assembly and design reversibly-assembling colloidal matter.
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Beth started her independent career in August of 2017 at Penn State University, where her group works at the interface of organic synthesis and polymer chemistry.
Education
2012 Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)
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2006 B.S., Biology and Chemistry, Le Moyne College (Syracuse, NY)
Professional Appointments
2024 –
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2017 – 2024
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2013 – 2017
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2007 – 2012
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2006 – 2007
Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University
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Postdoctoral Research Associate, Molecular Design Institute and the Department of Chemistry, New York University
Advisor: Prof. Marcus Weck
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Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa
Advisor: Prof. Leonard R. MacGillivray
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Research Specialist, Michael Szwarc Polymer Research Institute, Department of
Chemistry, SUNY- College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Advisor: Prof. Israel Cabasso
Awards and Fellowships
2023 Rustum and Della Roy Innovation in Materials Research Award
2023 ACS Division of Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering (PMSE) Early Career Investigator
2023 Polymer Chemistry Emerging Investigator
2021 ACS Division of Organic Chemistry (ORGN) Young Academic Investigator
2021 Journal of Polymer Science, Young Investigator
2021 Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow
2021 NSF CAREER Award
2020 Thieme Chemistry Journal Award
2019 American Chemical Society, Doctoral New Investigator Award
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2017 Emergent Macromolecular Systems Symposium Poster Prize (1st place)
2016 New York University/Tel-Aviv University Symposium Poster Prize
2012 University of Iowa Graduate Student Senate Travel Award
2012 University of Iowa Department of Chemistry Travel Grant
2010 University of Iowa Graduate College Summer Fellowship
2008 – 2009 University of Iowa Council on Teaching Outstanding Teaching Assistant
2007 – 2008 University of Iowa Department of Chemistry Outstanding Teaching Assistant
2005 Le Moyne College Department Honors (Dept. of Chemistry and Physics)