Professor and his wife donate $1 million for UCLA professorship fund
Michael Jung, a distinguished chemistry and biochemistry professor, and his wife Alice Jung donated $1 million to establish the Michael and Alice Jung Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery. (Courtesy of Penny Jennings)
By Yun Kyung (Anny) Kim
June 25, 2017 11:23 a.m.
UCLA received a $1 million donation to endow a professorship in medical and drug research.
Michael Jung, a distinguished chemistry and biochemistry professor, and his wife Alice Jung made the donation to establish the Michael and Alice Jung Endowed Chair in Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Discovery, according to a UCLA press release on June 14.
Michael Jung said he hopes the gift will allow UCLA to hire a new faculty member who will help further drug discovery and produce more research in medicinal chemistry.
According to the release, Jung’s donation was matched by the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences, making the total contribution $2 million. Additional funds came from UCLA’s share of proceeds from royalty rights in Xtandi, a prostate cancer medication developed by Jung and his research team.
[Related: A pharmaceutical company will be purchasing the seller of Xtandi for $14 billion.]
Jung has been a faculty member since 1974 and specializes in the field of synthetic organic and medicinal chemistry. He is a consultant for more than 20 industrial biotech and pharmaceutical laboratories, and he is on the scientific advisory board of several pharmaceutical firms.
Jung is currently researching new medications for diseases and conditions such as breast cancer, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis.
The donation is part of the UCLA’s Centennial Campaign, which aims to raise $4.2 billion for the university by the end of 2019.
