Renowned chemist Deryn Fogg appointed Honorary Doctor at UiB

Fogg has been affiliated with the Department of Chemistry as a Professor II since 2018. She is involved in several projects and strategic initiatives at the department, including Integrated Catalyst Discovery for Biotechnology (ICat4Bio) and the Norwegian Open Infrastructure for High-Throughput Experimentation and Scale-Up (NorHTE).

Fogg is one of nine appointed honorary doctors at the UiB. She will be formally conferred the title of Honorary Doctor at a joint ceremony on 21 May 2026, in the University Aula. 

How or what made you first interested in natural science, from a young age?

– Well, I hope people don't feel let down, but I didn't start off interested in science. I loved, and still do, literature, history, ancient myth and religion. I studied science in university because I wanted an education. I wanted to learn about things I wouldn't pursue on my own. And then I fell in love with chemistry in my first year of a science degree.

What have been the central questions driving your research into sustainable molecule and materials production?

– How do the chemical reactions we study happen, and why do they do what they do? Can we work back from the reaction products – including unintended products – to discern the fundamental laws that govern the chemistry? If we understand how catalysts work, and how they fail, we have the opportunity to build them better. And that means we have the capacity to simultaneously advance fundamental understanding, and the enormous potential of this area of science. This research was recognized with the Nobel Prize in 2005, because the Nobel Committee saw that potential. If we can turn that Nobel vision into reality, we can change the world.

What motivates you in your work?

– I want to build a better world. I grew up in a beautiful, wild part of Canada and I love it. I want to help preserve the natural world. That's one aspect. As another, I saw first-hand the devastation of AIDS in the 1980s. The memory of that terrible time and loss is a powerful motivator to advance the aspects of my research area that enable the assembly of antiviral therapeutics.

So how do those things fit together?

– Catalysis offers a means of building essential molecules – including breakthrough drug molecules – while reducing the environmental footprint of pharmaceutical manufacturing. The specific type of catalysis I work on is special. It permits us to make, or break, carbon-carbon bonds. Bond-making is key to drug design. Bond-breaking means we can use it to cleave polymers, which are just long carbon chains. These are two of the applications of our catalysis that hold most opportunity for transformative change, and that's what helps me get out of bed in the morning.

What are the biggest challenges your research faces today?

– My own, personally – time! We have tools and we have funds. The Canadian funding system is wonderful. It provides smaller grants than in Norway, but it provides sustained, long-term support. I have wonderful students and collaborators, including in Bergen. But time for deep and undistracted thought, that's tough. In fact, this is one of the things I adore about coming to UiB. When I get here, my sole duty is to research. Those periods are very precious.

About being a role model, I think originally that's something I resisted. I don't recall looking for female role models as a student (which is good, as there weren't any), and it was disconcerting to realize I was not seen just an individual, but as a representative. I slowly came around on it. My love of the underdog helped, and a growing appreciation of what I valued, and the importance of being a visible example. Now I welcome it. 

You’re also known for communicating science beyond academia, including to policymakers. Why is that important to you?

– Science is not confined to the lab. Science is part of society. If we don't integrate it intentionally,  it will pop up in places and ways that may dismay us. And from a complementary perspective, science holds tremendous potential to address the challenges facing the world. Canada has a relatively small, relatively flat system of governance, which opens the door to much more direct dialogue with decision-makers than in systems encumbered by layers of lobbyists. That creates opportunities to contribute to the uptake of science into policy decisions.

In the long run, what impact do you hope your research—and the field as a whole—will have on society?

– I hope to contribute to solutions to the plastics problem, to help accelerate the discovery of badly-needed new therapeutics, while reducing the footprint of pharma, and to build bridges. Both for uptake of the science itself, and to help people see the joy of discovery, and that discovery is within their own reach.

What do you feel about receiving the honorary price from UiB?

– This is an extraordinary and unexpected honour, by which I am deeply touched.

UiB appointed ten new honory doctors in 2026 – you can read more about them here.