The College of Science is pleased to celebrate Dr. Hong Wang’s recent designation as a University Distinguished Research Professor! The University Distinguished Research Professor Award recognizes tenured faculty who have achieved an exceptional record of creative activities or research productivity and who demonstrate a record of continued extraordinary productivity.

 

“I am deeply honored and look forward to embracing this increased responsibility to advance my field and contribute to the UNT community,” said Dr. Wang, who has been with the university’s Chemistry Department for ten years now. “I would like to thank the award committee, our chair Lee Slaughter, and our dean Ed Dzialowski for nominating me for this award.”

 

Dr. Wang received her B.S. and M.S. in Inorganic Chemistry from Shandong University China and her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of California. Her current research focuses on developing methodologies to establish new fields of inquiry through innovative concepts and strategic approaches.

 

“Our group’s research has expanded the toolbox in organic chemistry, offering opportunities to create new carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions—a central theme in organic chemistry,” she said. “The availability of these tools enables the exploration of challenging areas in materials science, broadening their potential in organic electronics, energy conversion, and storage.”

 

The development of her work has fostered collaborations with many research groups inside and outside of UNT, both nationally and internationally.

 

During her time at UNT, Dr. Wang has also received the Best Teacher Scholar Award (2020) and the COS Best Service Award (2019). Her teaching philosophy is rooted in her belief that every student has great potential, and her challenge is to find the best way to help them discover it.

 

"In the classroom, my approach focuses on teaching students how to learn—specifically by organizing and summarizing material—and using questions to push them to think more deeply,” she said. “In the research lab, I focus on helping graduate students develop strong research habits early on. I aim to inspire them to develop an analytical mind, encouraging critical and creative thinking to identify and solve research problems in line with their learning process.”

 

Dr. Wang thanks UNT for her recent award and cites many of her colleagues as inspiring and essential to her work as a researcher: 

 

“I truly enjoy working with my collaborators in Physics, Jens Neu and Yuanxi Wang, and appreciate their team spirit and dedication to solving complex challenges in the field. I am deeply grateful to my chemistry colleagues Shengqian Ma and Xin Cui for their generous support and for sharing their knowledge, which helped shape new directions in my research. I am inspired by Tom Cundari and Jeffry Kelber for their enduring passion and curiosity about science and their openness to learning, Oliver Chyan for his unwavering sincerity, honesty, and dedication to graduate training, Mohamad Omary for his resilience, and my young colleagues like Hao Yan and Kui Tan for their persistence and sincere love for science."

 

Dr. Wang was honored at UNT's Salute to Faculty Excellence event on April 16, 2026. This event is hosted each spring by Faculty Success and the UNT Foundation. For more information about the Faculty Excellence Awards and the 2026 winners, please visit https://vpaa.unt.edu/fs/recognition/sfe-winners-2026.html#service  

Congratulations to all our award winners, and thank you for all you do to advance UNT’s mission to transform lives and build a brighter future!