Enjoy presentations by this year’s recipients of the Phillip and Ruth Hettleman Prizes for Scholarly Achievement. The talks will provide an engaging look into these distinguished early career scholars’ work. The late Phillip Hettleman, a member of the Carolina class of 1921, and his wife Ruth established their prestigious named award in 1986 to recognize the achievements of outstanding junior faculty.
Check out all of the Hettleman Winner’s Presentations throughout the week:
- Het Talks: Sarah Cohen & Alex Zhukovitskiy
- Het Talks: Lindsey James and Angel Hsu
- Het Talks: Marissa Hall and Kathryn Leech
These are virtual, CLE Credit events.
2025 Hettleman Winner
Lindsey James, Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry, Eshelman School of Pharmacy
James, a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, is a trailblazer in chemical biology and her research focuses on understanding and controlling gene expression — how genes are turned on and off — something that plays a key role in many illnesses, including cancer. She does this by designing special molecules that can either block the activity of or break down the proteins responsible for controlling gene activity.
One of her major achievements is creating new tools that can target and eliminate harmful proteins that were previously considered “undruggable.” These proteins are often involved in cancer, and by removing them, James’ work opens the door to new kinds of treatments. Her lab has developed several of these tools, including one that can destroy a specific cancer-linked protein.
2023 Hettleman Winner
Angel Hsu, Public Policy, College of Arts and Sciences
Angel Hsu applies data-driven approaches to evaluate climate and environmental policy, primarily at the state and local levels. She leads The Data-Driven EnviroLab, frequently calling upon others from different disciplines to collaborate on research.
Collectively, her work has been influential in shaping the research agenda among those studying global climate governance and developing the quantitative approaches used to assess the impact and performance of subnational and non-state actors.
In his nomination letter for Hsu, Daniel P. Gitterman, Duncan MacRae ’09 and Rebecca Kyle MacRae Professor of Public Policy, says, “Hsu has made important theoretical, substantive, and methodological contributions to climate policy. Her research is highly visible and influential, and her trajectory and future promise are highly positive. Her contributions to research, teaching and service at Carolina are exemplary.”
Hsu’s work has been published in several leading journals, including Nature, Environmental Research Letters, and Climate Policy, contributing novel research in ways that are indicative of her status as a leading scholar in global environmental policy and her engagement in timely policy debates.
Hsu earned an MPhil in environmental policy from the University of Cambridge and a doctorate in environmental policy from the Yale School of Environment. Following her PhD, she served for two years as a postdoctoral associate with the Urbanization and Global Change Group at Yale University.