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AMES, Iowa – Assistant Professor Levi Stanley is the new holder of the Carlyle G. Caldwell Endowed Chair in Chemistry at Iowa State University.

Levi Stanley

The two-year chair will provide him with supplemental annual funds for his teaching and research efforts in the Department of Chemistry, an academic unit in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Endowed chair funds often are used to support graduate students and post-doctoral researchers, purchase additional equipment and supplies, and provide travel to professional meetings or for professional development.

Stanley started his appointment at ISU in spring 2012 teaching organic chemistry and now leads a research group of four graduate students, two postdoctoral fellows, and three undergraduate students. His research focuses on the development of new catalysts for a variety of synthetic transformations.

“The Caldwell Chair is absolutely vital to research efforts in my group,” Stanley said. “Progress in many fields of the medicinal sciences is tied closely to the ability to access a diverse array of chemical structures. The Caldwell Chair allows us to pursue studies to develop new catalysts of highly selective synthetic methods that provide access to a diverse array of chemical architectures.”

In addition, Stanley said the Caldwell Chair provides support for both graduate and undergraduate students in his group and has enabled the purchase of instrumentation that is critical to his research effort.

The Caldwell Chair was established in 1985 in honor of Iowa State chemistry alumnus Carlyle G. Caldwell and funded through contributions from corporations, foundations and individuals.

Carlyle G. Caldwell was chairman and chief executive officer of the National Starch and Chemical Corp. until 1984 before becoming chair of the company’s executive committee. He distinguished himself as a researcher and corporate executive in his more than 45 years with the company. Caldwell earned both his B.S. (1935) and Ph.D. (1940) degrees in chemistry from Iowa State.

Caldwell’s graduate research at Iowa State focused on the basic chemistry of corn starch, and he made pioneering research contributions in many areas in starch chemistry that later found widespread application in industry.

“It’s a special occasion each time we announce a new holder of a named chair in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences,” said Beate Schmittmann, dean of the college. “Endowed chairs carry honor and prestige for the chair holders, and the additional funds are critical for strengthening our college’s academic excellence. We are very pleased that Dr. Stanley is the newest holder of the Caldwell Endowed Chair in Chemistry.”

“Dr. Stanley is an extremely bright and promising new faculty member who makes an immediate impact on you with his insight on problems in catalytic organic chemistry,” said William Jenks, professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry.

“He has already been recognized by the National Institutes of Health with a grant for his work on artificial metalloenzymes in synthetic organic chemistry. This is an extremely prestigious recognition in that it provided him with independent funding as a postdoctoral fellow that he could carry on to his new career at Iowa State. As a teacher, we expect his students to relate to his obvious enthusiasm and wit for years to come.”

Arthur Winter, assistant professor of chemistry, was a previous holder of the Caldwell Chair.

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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (www.las.iastate.edu)
Iowa State University

Contacts:
Levi Stanley, Chemistry, (515) 294-6342 (lstanley@iastate.edu)
Laura Wille, Liberal Arts & Sciences Communications, (515) 294-7742 (lge@iastate.edu)