Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor and Regents Professor of Chemistry Dr. Sherry J. Yennello has been honored by the Texas A&M Aggie Women Network as the recipient of its 2023 Eminent Scholar Award.
Established in 2011 and jointly sponsored by the Aggie Women Network and Office of the President, the award honors extraordinary women faculty who serve as role models for all Aggie students through their records of outstanding recognizes extraordinary achievement in research, scholarship and service.
Yennello will be presented with her award, which includes a $4,000 cash gift and a plaque, at the Aggie Women Network Awards Luncheon, set for Friday, October 27, from 12 to 2 p.m. in the Memorial Student Center Bethancourt Ballroom.
Yennello, who holds the Bright Chair in Nuclear Science within the College of Arts and Sciences and has served since 2014 as director of Texas A&M’s world-class Cyclotron Institute, is an internationally renowned nuclear chemist and expert in heavy-ion reactions. She joined the Texas A&M faculty in 1993 as a member of the Department of Chemistry after earning her Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1990 and completing a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan State University. She currently serves as principal investigator for two U.S. Department of Energy-funded Centers of Excellence while also leading a $2 million, 15-institution, DOE-funded isotope traineeship effort, the Horizon-broadening Isotope Production Pipeline Opportunities (HIPPO) program.
During the past three decades, Yennello has made transformational contributions to our understanding of nuclear reactions induced by radioactive nuclei along with the properties of neutron-rich matter and how the elements were made within the stars. She is a global authority in the use of isotopically selected beams to explore the dynamics and thermodynamics of nuclear collisions, including one of the first-ever experiments induced by a radioactive beam. She also oversees a leading U.S. program in developing alpha-emitting radioactive isotopes that have the potential to transform nuclear medicine as an effective treatment for inoperable tumors.
Beyond her rich legacy as a nuclear chemist and research scientist, Yennello’s pioneering example as an instructor, administrator and mentor to faculty and students — particularly women and minorities — is equally respected at Texas A&M and in national and international professional circles. She is a staunch advocate of equity and access to education and professional advancement for all, with a proven track record of creating opportunities while also motivating students to take advantage of opportunities available to them. Across all settings and sectors, she strives to motivate relevant stakeholders to be agents of change.
A fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2012), the American Chemical Society (2011) and the American Physical Society (2005), Yennello’s many career awards to date include the Southeastern Universities Research Association Distinguished Scientist Award (2023), the ACS’s Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry (2021) and Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal (2011), the Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Administration (2019), the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Mentoring Award (2017), the Texas A&M Women’s Faculty Network Outstanding Mentor Award (2010), the Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award in Teaching at both the university and college levels (2012 and 2008, respectively), the Sigma Xi National Young Investigator Award (2000), the National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award (1994), the Oak Ridge Junior Faculty Enhancement Award (1993) and the General Electric Faculty for the Future Award (1993).
Yennello is the fifth all-time Eminent Scholar Award recipient from the College of Arts and Sciences, joining 2021 honoree and fellow Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Dr. Karen L. Wooley, 2020 honoree and Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences Dr. Jyotsna Vaid, 2013 honoree and Distinguished Professor of Biology Dr. Deborah Bell-Pedersen and 2012 inaugural winner, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Dr. Kim R. Dunbar, among the 10 total Texas A&M faculty honored with the award since it was first presented in 2012.
For more information about the Aggie Women Network or the upcoming Awards Luncheon, visit http://aggiewomen.org.
Learn more about Yennello and her teaching, research and service at Texas A&M.