Alison Butler

Alison Butler is a Distinguished Professor and Department Chair of Chemistry & Biochemistry at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She holds a joint appointment in Biomolecular Science and Engineering (BMSE). Her research focuses on bioinorganic chemistry, metalloenzymes, microbial iron acquisition, and biomimetic adhesion. Butler's work includes studying siderophores—bacterial iron-chelating compounds—and their roles in microbial growth, as well as designing catechol-based adhesives inspired by mussel foot proteins.

Education: Butler earned her Ph.D. from UC San Diego (1982) and completed postdoctoral research at UCLA and Caltech. She joined UCSB in 1986.

• Key Awards: ACS Alfred Bader Award (2018), ACS Cope Scholar Award (2019), National Academy of Sciences membership (2022).
• Leadership: Past President of the Society for Biological Inorganic Chemistry and Chair of the ACS Division of Inorganic Chemistry.

Research Interests: Her lab investigates siderophore biosynthesis, vanadium haloperoxidases, and lignin-degrading enzymes. Current projects include genomic mining of novel siderophores and developing biomimetic wet adhesives.

Advising & Grants: Butler has mentored numerous students and postdocs, with grants supporting her work on microbial iron uptake and adhesion mechanisms.

Labs/Teams: Butler leads the Butler Research Group, collaborating with experts in chemical engineering and materials science at UCSB and beyond.