Advancing Chemistry. Improving Life. ANNUAL REPORT 2018 ROBERT A. WELCH The Welch Foundation is a legacy to the world from Robert Alonzo Welch, a self-made man with a strong sense of responsibility to humankind, an enthusiastic respect for chemistry and a deep love for the state of Texas. Born in South Carolina to a prominent family that fell on hard economic times, Mr. Welch came to Houston as a youth and later made his fortune in oil and minerals. Over the course of his career and life, he became convinced of the importance of chemistry for the betterment of the world. Scientists, geologists and petroleum engineers were among his close friends and associates as were the civic and business leaders of the day. From these associations and his own study, Mr. Welch determined that the pursuit of chemistry and chemical research held great potential for vast good and would continue to have a valuable impact on business, industry, global leadership and the human condition. Mr. Welch gave serious thought to the disposition of his estate. His decisions reflected his belief in science and the role it would play in the future. In his will, Mr. Welch stated: “I have long been impressed with the great possibilities for the betterment of mankind that lay in the field of research in the domain of chemistry.” With his death in 1952, Mr. Welch left a generous portion of his estate to his employees and their families. The balance began what is now The Welch Foundation. 1 Table of Contents 3 2018 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS 4 THE WELCH FOUNDATION 6 THE WELCH AWARD 8 THE HACKERMAN AWARD 10 CONFERENCE ON CHEMICAL RESEARCH 12 PROGRAMS 14 FOUNDATION GRANTS 18 PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS 32 DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH GRANTS 33 ENDOWED CHAIRS 34 FINANCIALS 2 2018 ANNUAL HIGHLIGHTS Advancing Basic Research in Chemistry, Improving Lives Fiscal year 2018 saw the Foundation’s endowment reach $725 million. From inception through the end of the year, the Foundation has provided some $898 million in actual-dollar support for basic research in chemistry. “I am continually amazed at the quality of the research happening in Texas,” said Welch President Norbert Dittrich. “The grants, awards and our annual chemical conference highlight the value of funda- mental research. I salute the many scien- tists whose creativity, intellect and hard SAB Chair Peter Dervan (left) with Board Chair Carin Barth work help advance chemistry to improve and President Norbert Dittrich. our world.” The Welch Foundation named Jeffrey D. concern – including desalination, recycling Rimer of the University of Houston as the 2018 wastewater, and converting seawater to fresh “rising star” recipient of the Norman Hacker- water and clean energy. Welch Scientific Advi- man Award in Chemical Research. His work in sory Board member James L. Skinner chaired the crystallization has led to improved catalysts for conference. energy production and new treatments for kidney Adriaan Bax of the National Institutes of stones and malaria. Health was honored for his contributions to sci- The annual research conference in Octo- ence with the 2018 Robert A. Welch Award in ber, “Water: Science and Technology,’’ explored Chemistry. Dr. Bax reinvented nuclear magnetic research focused on understanding the behavior resonance spectroscopy to enable the study of of water in a wide range of complex systems. large biological molecules for a better understand- Presenters also reviewed technology advances to ing of disease. His current work is focused on address water availability – a key issue of global showing protein folding in real time with impli- cations for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and other maladies. Wilhelmina E. (Beth) Robertson retired from the board of directors in April 2018. Her 15 years of service, including as former board chair, helped advance the Foundation’s mission. Wil- liam F. McKeon began serving on the auxiliary advisory board January 1, 2018, and became a director in June. Two new scientific leaders were named to the Scientific Advisory Board, effective January 1, 2019: Catherine J. Murphy, Larry R. Faulkner En- dowed Chair in Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Melanie S. Sanford, Moses Gomberg Distinguished University Welch board members and spouses visit at the Welch Award banquet, from left: Doug and Sarah Foshee, Todd and Carin Barth, and Fred and Professor and Arthur F. Thurnau Professor of Jessica Brazelton. Chemistry, University of Michigan. 3 THE WELCH FOUNDATION Fullfilling Founder’s Vision Created from an endowment by Texas oilman and philanthropist Robert Alonzo Welch, The Welch Foundation is one of the nation’s largest sources of private funding for basic research in chemistry. For more than 60 years, the Foundation has supported chemistry in Texas through research grants and a variety of other programs. Following the dictates of Mr. Welch’s will, the Foundation remains true to its mission of supporting fundamental scientific exploration that ultimately helps improve our world. The Foundation’s endeavors are guided by a Board of Directors, Scientific Advisory Board and professional staff, all committed to building a robust scientific community in Texas that advances basic knowledge. Board of Directors and Officers The Board of Directors serves as stewards of The Welch Foundation, overseeing its financial health, operational direction and support for chemistry. Carin Marcy Barth Frederick W. Brazelton Chair and Director Secretary and Director Douglas L. Foshee William F. McKeon Vice Chair and Director Director Gina A. Luna Norbert Dittrich Treasurer and Director President 4 Scientific Advisory Board Peter B. Dervan, Chair Richard R. Schrock California Institute Massachusetts Institute The Scientific Advisory Board advises of Technology of Technology the Board of Directors on scientific issues related to the Foundation’s mission. The board is composed of renowned leaders in chemistry and the related sciences who Jennifer A. Doudna Peter G. Schultz evaluate proposals for research grants, University of California, The Scripps Research review and recommend finalists for the Berkeley Institute Welch and Hackerman Awards, and help oversee the other Foundation programs to promote chemistry in Texas. Each year, one member presides over the annual Joseph L. Goldstein James L. Skinner Conference on Chemical Research. The University of Texas University of Chicago Southwestern Medical Center Roger D. Kornberg Xiaowei Zhuang Stanford University Harvard University Medical School W. E. Moerner Stanford University Foundation Staff Led by Norbert Dittrich, president and chief operating officer, the staff oversees and implements the day-to-day operations of the Foundation. Norbert Dittrich Reena Cegielski Linda Molina President Senior Accountant Administrative Assistant/ Coordinator Carla J. Atmar Carolyn Kahlich Ron Page Grant Programs Senior Accountant Controller Coordinator Colette Bleasdale Kathy Kirk Sherry White Executive Assistant Administrative Assistant Staff Accountant (Retired May 31, 2018) 5 WELCH AWARD Reinventing NMR to ‘See’ Biological Macromolecules in Action Dr. Bax has taken what was originally a breakthrough two-dimensional tool and cre- ated numerous new methods so scientists now can use NMR to “see” much larger proteins in 3D. This has allowed him, and labs across the world, to explore increasingly complex aspects of biology. His research has shed new light on molecules that play important roles in AIDS, influenza and other diseases. Most recently, the NIH Distinguished Inves- tigator and his colleagues have developed novel NMR equipment and methods to study protein folding in real-time. Protein misfolding is at the core of diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and many other maladies. This breakthrough will increase understanding of Ingrid Pufahl and husband Ad Bax, 2018 Welch Award recipient, visit how the process can go wrong and guide the with Norbert and Rebecca Dittrich at the Foundation’s October banquet. development of new treatments. “Dr. Bax introduced many of the NMR The 2018 Welch Award in Chemistry celebrates advances that are now used in thousands of chemistry and biology laboratories on a daily Adriaan (Ad) Bax’s transformation of nuclear basis,” said Carin Barth, Welch Foundation magnetic resonance spectroscopy into a powerful board chair. “His ideas have transformed NMR, structural biology and molecular biophysics.” tool to study the structure, function and His advances in NMR spectroscopy are dynamics of biological macromolecules. many and powerful, including multi-dimension- al heteronuclear spectroscopy, dipolar coupling experiments and structure interpretation of chemical shift data. He also extended the use of NMR in organic chemistry, developing the stan- dard techniques now used to detail the structure of natural products. In addition to these major breakthroughs, Dr. Bax has made hundreds of smaller im- provements in NMR technology to extend its functionality and enhance overall performance. Together, his advances have made possible many important studies of macromolecules. His work extends well beyond his own discoveries to research findings in basically every branch of molecular and cell biology. “Ad Bax made it possible to move the field from static structures to movies of biomolecules in functional action,” said Peter B. Dervan, chair, Welch’s Scientific Advisory Board. “The 6 methodology makes it possible to determine he developed the so-called triple-resonance, high-resolution structures of folding intermedi- multidimensional