Obituaries

George H. Nancollas, longtime UB faculty member and SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Chemistry, died Jan. 11.

Nancollas, a member of the UB faculty from 1965-2014, was recognized internationally for his research on the physical chemistry of the interface between solids and liquids, and the mechanism of crystal growth and dissolution.

A holder of UB’s Larkin Chair in Chemistry, he was the author of more than 420 publications and the recipient of numerous awards, among them the National Institutes of Health MERIT Award and the Schoellkopf Medal from the local chapter of the American Chemical Society. He was named a 2011 Pioneer of Science by the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute.

He was a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Association for Crystal Growth.

During his tenure at UB, Nancollas also held administrative positions as provost of the former Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and as chair of the former Department of Biomaterials.

He was well-known in the local community as the founder of the Western New York Science and Technology Forum, an annual program designed to expose teachers at all levels — elementary, middle and high school — to some of the most exciting new scientific developments in a broad range of fields.

Nancollas was honored this past fall for 50 years of service to UB at the 2015 Celebration of Faculty/Staff Excellence.

He earned a BSc. and PhD from the University of Wales, UK, and a BSc from the University of Glasgow, Scotland.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.