Small Rings, Big Honor: Meaghan Deegan Named a 2026 Cottrell Scholar
The $120,000 award recognizes Deegan’s breakthrough work in organometallic chemistry and her commitment to bringing hands-on research to every chemistry student at Santa Clara
In the world of synthetic chemistry, some molecules are like escape artists; they vanish almost the instant they are created. Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Meaghan Deegan has spent her career figuring out how to make them stay. Today, that expertise has earned her a spot among the nation’s top young scientists. Deegan has been named a 2026 Cottrell Scholar, one of only 24 early-career faculty members in the U.S. and Canada to receive the honor this year.
A Scientific Anchor
The $120,000 award will support Deegan’s lab in its mission to stabilize "oxirenes," tiny three-membered ring structures that are notoriously unstable. Because of their tight geometric shape and the arrangement of their electrons, these rings are under immense "strain."
Deegan’s innovative approach involves attaching these rings to metal centers. By using these metals as a structural anchor, her lab can relieve the internal stress of the molecule, essentially "freezing" it in place so its properties and reactivity can be studied for the first time.
The Cottrell Scholar Award offers a rare opportunity to bridge the gap between fundamental discovery and science education. I’m honored to join this community and eager to see how this support will accelerate our research and expand opportunities for our students at Santa Clara.
Research for Every Student
The Cottrell Scholar program is unique because it values teaching as much as research. For Deegan, the two are inseparable.
Part of the grant will be used to integrate research directly into the classroom at Santa Clara. Through Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences (CUREs), Deegan is bringing real-world discovery to students much earlier in their academic careers. From first-year students in General Chemistry to seniors in advanced Inorganic Chemistry, every chemistry major will now have the opportunity to engage in hands-on research before they graduate.
A Growing Legacy
Deegan is the third SCU chemist to receive this prestigious honor, following in the footsteps of Amelia Fuller (2010) and Grace Stokes (2018). Her selection underscores the College of Arts and Sciences' commitment to the "teacher-scholar" model—a philosophy where cutting-edge research fuels a more vibrant, inclusive education for all students.
“Professor Deegan represents the teacher-scholar model at Santa Clara University superbly well,” said Daniel Press, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Santa Clara University. “Her ability to secure such a prestigious national award speaks to her brilliance as a researcher, while her commitment to involving our undergraduates in that discovery is what truly defines her impact on our campus.”
This July, Deegan will head to Tucson, Arizona, to join the 600-member Cottrell Scholar network, a community of researchers and mentors dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what is possible in both the lab and the classroom.