Department of Chemistry Announces 2025 Faculty Promotions
July 16, 2025 | By UNC-Chapel Hill Chemistry Communication
The Department of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is pleased to announce that eight faculty members have received new appointments for the 2024-2025 academic year. The promotions and distinguished term appointments, approved by the UNC Board of Trustees, were effective as of July 01, 2025. These promotions reflect demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service to the University, and we are immensely proud of our faculty for their hard work on behalf of the department. Please read below for the details.
Prof. Anna Curtis has been promoted to Teaching Associate Professor. She earned a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from University of Colorado Boulder and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Promotion to Teaching Associate Professor is awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and service to the University.
Prof. Nita Eskew has been promoted to Teaching Professor. She earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Promotion to Teaching Professor is awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching and service to the University.
Prof. Abigail Knight has been promoted to Associate Professor. She earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Promotion to Associate Professor is awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service to the University.
Prof. Frank Leibfarth has been promoted to Full Professor. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.A. in Chemistry and Physics from the University of South Dakota. Promotion to Full Professor is awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research and service to the university.
Prof. Jason Surratt has been promoted to Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and a B.S. in Meteorology and B.A. in Chemistry from NC State University. The Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professorship is a prestigious title, reserved for Professors who go above and beyond in teaching, research, and service to the university.
Prof. Sidney Wilkerson-Hill has been promoted to Associate Professor. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley and a B.S. in Polymer and Color Chemistry and a B.S. in Chemistry from North Carolina State University. Promotion to Associate Professor is awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service to the University.
Prof. Wei You has been promoted to Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professor. He earned his Ph.D. in Organic/Polymer Chemistry from the University of Chicago and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Science and Technology of China. The Cary C. Boshamer Distinguished Professorship is a prestigious title, reserved for Professors who go above and beyond in teaching, research, and service to the university.
Prof. Alex Zhukhovitskiy has been promoted to Associate Professor. He earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BA and MS in Chemistry and BA in Mathematics and Integrated Science Program from Northwestern University. Promotion to Associate Professor is awarded to faculty members who have demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, and service to the University.
Congratulations Profs. Curtis, Eskew, Knight, Leibfarth, Surrat, Wilkerson-Hill, You, and Zhukhovitskiy!