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Nancy Sarah Goroff (born February 18, 1968) is an American organic chemist who formerly served as chair of the chemistry department at Stony Brook University. Her research investigates conjugated organic molecules, including polymers, halocarbons and buckyballs. During the 2020 United States elections Goroff ran to represent New York's 1st congressional district, and was defeated by the incumbent, Lee Zeldin.

Early life and education

Goroff studied chemistry at Harvard University. She moved to the West Coast for her graduate studies, where she joined University of California, Los Angeles, and worked under the supervision of Orville L. Chapman [Wikidata] and François Diederich.

Scientific career

Goroff was an National Science Foundation (NSF) postdoctoral fellow at the Michigan State University, where she worked in the laboratory of James (Ned) Jackson. At MSU she worked on the synthesis and study of carbenes. Goroff continued her postdoctoral studies at the University of Michigan, studying chemical education with Brian Coppola.

In 1997 Goroff joined the faculty of Stony Brook University. The Goroff laboratory designs conjugated organic molecules, including polymers, halocarbons and buckybelts. Among these, Goroff is interested in organoiodine compounds (including iodoalkynes) and halogenated cumulenes. She has investigated the chemical, material and photophysical properties of poly(diiododiacetylene), a polymer known as PIDA. Goroff has shown that suspending solutions of PIDA in pyrrolidine results in the formation of a highly conductive material. Conjugated molecular belts, where the deconjugated π-system is shaped into a cylinder. The belts are not dissimilar to buckminsterfullerene, a spherical carbon allotrope, but has open edges that can be functionalised further. These belts have potential for nanoscale switches.

In 2013 Goroff was appointed the Associate Provost for the Integration of Research at Stony Brook University.

Goroff is a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Political career

In 2020 Goroff ran for the 2020 United States House of Representatives, going on leave from her faculty position at Stony Brook University. On June 23 she won the Democratic primary, with 36.1 percent of the vote, finishing ahead of 2018 nominee Perry Gershon. In November, she faced incumbent Lee Zeldin in the general election, losing by 9.8%. If elected, Goroff would have been the first woman scientist with a PhD to be elected to Congress.

Electoral history

Awards and honors

• 2000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
• 2003 Thieme Award
• 2011 Stony Brook University Award for Excellence in Service
• 2013 American Chemical Society Award for Creative Research and Applications of Iodine Chemistry

Selected publications

• Sun, Aiwu; Lauher, Joseph W.; Goroff, Nancy S. (2006-05-19). "Preparation of Poly(diiododiacetylene), an Ordered Conjugated Polymer of Carbon and Iodine". Science. 312 (5776): 1030–1034. Bibcode:2006Sci...312.1030S. doi:10.1126/science.1124621. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 16709780. S2CID 36045120.
• Kishimoto, Haruo; Yoshinaga, Masashi; Yamaji, Katsuhiko; Brito, Manuel; Horita, Teruhisa; Yokokawa, Harumi (2009). "Phase Transformation of ScSZ by Reduction of NiO-ScSZ Mixture". ECS Meeting Abstracts (12): 1405. doi:10.1149/ma2009-02/12/1405. ISSN 2151-2043.
• Goroff, Nancy S. (1996-02-13). "Mechanism of Fullerene Formation". Accounts of Chemical Research. 29 (2): 77–83. doi:10.1021/ar950162d. ISSN 0001-4842.

References

1. Nancy Goroff publications from Europe PubMed Central
2. ^ "Confirmed Invited Speakers › Women for Women". Retrieved 2020-10-02.
3. ^ "Professor Nancy Goroff, former member of the Jackson Group, is Congress' first female scientist with a PhD". chemistry.msu.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
4. "Nancy S. Goroff receives award". chemistry.msu.edu. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
5. ^ "Nancy Goroff | Chemistry". Stony Brook University. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
6. ^ "Dr. Nancy Goroff Appointed Associate Provost for the Integration of Research, Education, and Professional Development and Associate Dean of the Graduate School". SBU News. 2013-09-13. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
7. ^ "Nancy Goroff". Un ion of Concerned Scientists. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
8. "GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin defeats Democrat Nancy Goroff". WNYW. December 4, 2020. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
9. "NSF Award Search: Award#9984937 - CAREER: Small Neutral All-Carbon Molecules from Well-Defined Precursors". NSF. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
10. "Previous Winners - Thieme Chemistry - Georg Thieme Verlag". Thieme. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
11. "Two Stony Brook University Professors to Receive Prestigious American Chemical Society Awards". newswise.com. Retrieved 2020-10-02.

External links

• Faculty website
• Campaign website

• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart

• 1968 births
• 20th-century American chemists
• 20th-century American women scientists
• 21st-century American chemists
• 21st-century American women scientists
• American women academics
• American women chemists
• Candidates in the 2020 United States House of Representatives elections
• Chemists from Illinois
• Harvard College alumni
• Jewish American scientists
• Jewish women scientists
• Living people
• New York (state) Democrats
• American organic chemists
• Scientists from Chicago
• Stony Brook University faculty
• University of California, Los Angeles alumni
• People from Suffolk County, New York
• Candidates in the 2024 United States House of Representatives elections