August 29, 2022
Aakeröy is new department head of chemistry
Submitted by College of Arts and Sciences
University Distinguished Professor Christer Aakeröy has been appointed head of the department of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences.
"I am unquestionably approaching this new task with a mixture of trepidation and excitement," Aakeröy said. "However, together with our brilliant faculty, staff, and students, I hope to strengthen the department of chemistry by converting challenges into opportunities through new collaborative research enterprises and attractive educational ventures."
Aakeröy, a Norwegian citizen born in Sweden, obtained a Master of Science in chemistry from Uppsala University. He gained a doctorate in chemistry from the University of Sussex, U.K., and subsequently accepted a position as a lecturer at the Queen's University of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Three years later, he joined the chemistry department at K-State, where he was promoted through the ranks and became a university distinguished professor in 2012. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and he has been a visiting professor at Universitè Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France, and at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
Aakeröy and his group have published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters that have gathered more than 12,000 citations, and his current h-index is 55. He has more than 100 invited presentations across four continents — including over 25 keynote/plenary lectures.
His scientific contributions have been recognized with the 73rd Midwest Award from the American Chemical Society, 2017; a Higuchi Award, 2016; and the British Crystallographic Association Prize Lecture, 2016. Since arriving at K-State, he has been involved in research projects as a principal investigator or co-principal investigator, that have garnered approximately $10 million in support from federal and industrial sources.
In 2011, Aakeröy received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching. He received a Making a Difference Award from the Women in Engineering and Science Program at K-State in 2006. Aakeröy has mentored three national Goldwater scholars, about 30 graduate students, and dozens of undergraduates.
"Dr. Aakeröy is a very well-respected and award-winning researcher, teacher and leader," said Chris Culbertson, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "His extensive experiences in all these areas along with creative thoughts on the research enterprise make him well prepared to lead the department."