UNC Chemistry’s Megan Jackson Named a 2026 Cottrell Scholar
February 12, 2026 | By UNC Chemistry Communications
The UNC-Chapel Hill Department of Chemistry is pleased to share that Megan Jackson, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, has been selected as a 2026 Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA).
The Cottrell Scholar Award recognizes outstanding early-career faculty who excel as both researchers and teachers, supporting innovative scientific programs alongside impactful educational initiatives.
As part of the award, Dr. Jackson will advance a research program aimed at revealing how chemistry behaves at one of the least understood, but potentially most powerful, types of interfaces: gas-liquid boundaries, particularly those found in microdroplets.
Probing Chemistry at Gas–Liquid Interfaces
Interfaces are known to dramatically influence chemical reactivity. Solid–liquid interfaces, for example, have enabled major advances in catalysis, sensing, and materials control. In recent years, researchers have begun to uncover evidence that gas–liquid interfaces can also accelerate or alter chemical reactions, with microdroplets offering especially strong effects due to their high surface-area-to-volume ratios. Still, fundamental understanding of why these effects occur and how to control them remains limited.
With support from the Cottrell Scholar Award, the Jackson Group will address this gap by using confocal fluorescence microscopy coupled with scanning electrochemical cell microscopy to determine how molecules:
- localize at gas–liquid interfaces,
- orient relative to the interface, and
- react under interfacial conditions.
By connecting molecular-scale structure with reaction outcomes, the work aims to build a foundation for precise control of chemistry in microdroplets – with potential applications in microfluidics, organic synthesis, aerosol-based environmental remediation, and targeted pharmaceutical delivery.
Bringing Active Learning into the Research Seminar
In addition to supporting research, the Cottrell Scholar Award places strong emphasis on advancing science education. Dr. Jackson’s educational initiative tackles a familiar challenge in STEM learning: research seminars remain mostly passive, even as active learning has become the gold standard in classroom instruction.
Dr. Jackson will develop approaches that help students convert seminars into active learning experiences, giving them practical strategies they can use in real time while attending talks. Her goals include increasing student:
- participation and engagement,
- retention and understanding of scientific content,
- confidence in interpreting and questioning data, and
- sense of ownership over their learning.
About the Cottrell Scholar Award
Administered by RCSA, the Cottrell Scholar Award honors the “teacher–scholar” model by investing in early-career faculty who integrate innovative research with educational leadership. The program supports bold scientific ideas while strengthening the ways future scientists are trained. All of the 2026 Cottrell Scholars and their projects can be found on the RCSA website, in their article “RCSA welcomes 2026 class of Cottrell Scholars“.
The UNC Department of Chemistry congratulates Dr. Jackson on this national recognition and looks forward to the discoveries and educational impact her Cottrell Scholar project will bring to Carolina. We would also like to thank the Foundation Relations & Industry Engagement and Diane Royle for all their support during this process. Their work in helping our faculty eloquently refine and compellingly present their research to foundations like RCSA make it possible for our department to continue pursuing excellence in the classroom and the laboratory.