2017 University System of Maryland Board of Regents’ Faculty Award for Excellence in Research

Katherine Seley-Radtke, Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Kathie Seley-Radtke is an internationally renowned contributor to the research literatures on drug design through chemical synthesis, and her work has significantly advanced medicinal chemistry and improved the quality of global health.

A highly prolific and influential researcher and theorist, Seley-Radtke’s ongoing research projects include looking at powerful new approaches as a means of overcoming resistances to treatments for life-threatening viruses and investigating the discovery of promising leads for the development of new anticancer drugs. Over the past five years, she has published nearly 30 journal articles in leading medicinal chemistry journals, two book chapters, and filed three patents, one of which was recently awarded. She also has secured six National Institutes of Health grants totaling more than $3 million.

Seley-Radtke has been recognized time and again for her contributions to her field. She was named the 2016 Maryland Chemist of the Year by the American Chemical Society and elected as the first woman president of the International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids. Her efforts also have earned her international acclaim. She has been involved for many years in science diplomacy as one of the National Academies of Sciences Jefferson Science Fellows with the U.S. Department of the State and the U.S. Embassy. In that capacity, she has worked tirelessly with Russian scientists and government officials to support the advancement of medicinal science through international collaboration.

She received her B.A. from University of South Florida and her Ph.D. from Auburn University.