The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation has named Assistant Professor Anna Wuttig a 2026 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar. This honor is reserved for early-career faculty who have demonstrated leadership in both original scholarly research and a deep commitment to education.
Prof. Wuttig’s research focuses on the development of electricity-driven chemical reactions. By bridging the gap between fundamental electrochemistry and synthetic organic chemistry, her group is advancing sustainable ways to store renewable energy and create essential chemical bonds. The award includes an unrestricted $100,000 research grant to further these innovative efforts.
Prof. Wuttig’s selection as a 2026 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar marks the latest chapter in a sustained era of excellence for the University of Chicago Department of Chemistry. Her recognition follows a back-to-back achievement for the department, succeeding Weixin Tang (2025) and adding to a prolific five-year run that includes Mark Levin (2022), John S. Anderson (2021), Suriyanarayanan Vaikuntanathan (2020), and Bryan C. Dickinson (2019). This recent momentum is part of a deep-rooted tradition of faculty distinction and represents the department’s enduring commitment to bridging the gap between innovative research and transformative chemistry education.
The Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award is the latest in a series of major honors recognizing Professor Wuttig’s pioneering contributions to sustainable chemistry. In early 2026, she was named a Sloan Research Fellow, an award that identifies the next generation of scientific leaders, and in late 2025, she received the Bayer Foundation Early Excellence in Science Award for her international leadership in electrocatalysis. Coupled with a recent NSF CAREER Award, these distinctions underscore the Wuttig Group’s growing influence in developing the fundamental chemical tools necessary for a decarbonized, energy-efficient future.
This recent video by the Bayer Foundation features Prof. Wuttig discussing the inspiration behind her research in electrochemistry and the importance of harnessing renewable electricity for chemical synthesis.