Neil Garg, the Kenneth N. Trueblood Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been awarded the 2025 David A. Evans Award for the Advancement and Education of Organic Synthesis. Garg is the inaugural recipient of the national award, which was established in 2023 and is given by the American Chemical Society.

The award honors former UCLA faculty member David A. Evans (1941–2022), who began his career at UCLA in 1967, before moving to Caltech and then to Harvard University. UCLA honored Evans in 2006 with the Seaborg Medal.

A prominent figure in organic chemistry, Evans played a key role in boosting research in the field at UCLA during his tenure as a faculty member. He was a renowned teacher and mentor throughout his career: The $5,000 award recognizes excellence in both research and education.

“Dave Evans was a giant in our field and an inspiration to all of us,” Garg said. “It is an immense honor — not just for me, but also for all members of my lab — for our collective efforts in research and education to be recognized with this award.”

Like Evans, Garg is known for transforming the way organic chemistry is taught at UCLA and perceived by students. His course for pre-health students was ranked one of the best classes in Los Angeles by LA Weekly and has been referred to as UCLA’s most beloved class. He’s developed online educational tools, such as qrchem.net, learnbacon.com, chemmatch.net, rschemistry.com and the Backside Attack smartphone app, which have helped hundreds of thousands of students embrace organic chemistry.

Garg has authored “The Organic Coloring Book” series and leads outreach activities like Chem Kids camp, to help introduce children to the fundamentals of organic chemistry. 

Honors Garg has received include the Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching, the California Professor of the Year Award from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the American Chemical Society’s Elias J. Corey Award, the Mukaiyama Award, and several Horizon Prizes from the Royal Society of Chemistry.

His synthesis of lissodendoric acid A using an unstable intermediate called cyclic allene was published in the January 2023 issue of Science, which also featured cyclic allene on the cover. Garg also co-founded ElectraTect, Inc., a company developing marijuana breathalyzer technology.