The ACS Division of Organic Chemistry is pleased to announce that Professor Dean J. Tantillo (University of California, Davis) has been selected as the 2025 Leete Awardee.
Established in 1995, the Leete Award recognizes outstanding contributions to teaching
and research in Organic Chemistry. The award honors Edward Leete of the University of Minnesota, who, through his contributions to science and education, fostered an appreciation and love for organic chemistry. The award consists of a plaque and a cash award and will be formally presented at the ACS National Meeting in Atlanta, in March 2026.
Dean J. Tantillo received his AB in chemistry from Harvard College in Cambridge, MA where he performed undergraduate research with James Hogle at the medical school. He received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 2000 from UCLA, working with Ken Houk, then joined Roald Hoffmann’s group at Cornell as a post-doctoral associate. In 2003, Tantillo began his independent career on the faculty at UC Davis, where he is now a full professor. He has also served as vice Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Chair of the UC Davis Graduate Council.
Professor Tantillo is a leader in the application of theoretical methods to problems in organic chemistry. His research is driven by a desire to understand the structures and reactivities of biologically active organic molecules, both naturally occurring and rationally designed, with a particular interest in cationic mechanisms in biosynthetic pathways. He has made important contributions to many areas of organic chemistry, including: the computational analysis of synthetic organic reactions, the elucidation of molecular structure using quantum mechanical methods coupled to experimental results, and the use of molecular dynamics to understand post transition state selectivity for reactions with bifurcating pathways. Tantillo has authored over 400 publications, often working collaboratively with many leaders in organic chemistry, and has been named a Cope Scholar and a fellow of the ACS, RSC, and AAAS.
Professor Tantillo has demonstrated the commitment to education embodied by Edward Leete throughout his own career. His peers recognized him with departmental and university wide teaching and mentoring awards that speak to his dedication to both undergraduate and graduate education. He has adapted his original research to be understood by high school students and implemented within undergraduate laboratories. For many years, he has been working to bring computational chemistry to visually impaired students, using tactile experiences with 3D-models coupled to computational analysis to explore structure-(re)activity relationships with minimal assistance from sighted colleagues.
The Division of Organic Chemistry recognizes that Tantillo exemplifies excellence in every dimension embodied in the Leete award. He is an award-winning, highly-collaborative researcher, a compelling teacher, and an advocate for bringing chemistry to visually impaired individuals. We are pleased to announce Dean J. Tantillo as the 2025 Edward Leete Awardee in recognition of his outstanding contributions to teaching and research in organic chemistry.