Nancy Sarah Goroff (born February 18, 1968) is an American organic chemist who formerly served as chair of the chemistry department at Stony Brook University. Her research investigates conjugated organic molecules, including polymers, halocarbons and buckyballs. During the 2020 United States elections Goroff ran to represent New York's 1st congressional district, and was defeated by the incumbent, Lee Zeldin.
Early life and education
Goroff studied chemistry at Harvard University. She moved to the West Coast for her graduate studies, where she joined University of California, Los Angeles, and worked under the supervision of and François Diederich.
Scientific career
Goroff was an National Science Foundation (NSF) postdoctoral fellow at the Michigan State University, where she worked in the laboratory of James (Ned) Jackson. At MSU she worked on the synthesis and study of carbenes, as well as on chemical education with Brian Coppola.
In 1997 Goroff joined the faculty of Stony Brook University. The Goroff laboratory design conjugated organic molecules, including polymers, halocarbons and buckybelts. Amongst these, Goroff is interested in organoiodine compounds (including iodoalkynes) and halogenated cumulenes. She has investigated the chemical, material and photophysical properties of poly(diiododiacetylene), a polymer known as PIDA. Goroff has shown that suspending solutions of PIDA in pyrrolidine results in the formation of a highly conductive material. Conjugated molecular belts, where the deconjugated π-system is shaped into a cylinder. The belts are not dissimilar to buckminsterfullerene, a spherical carbon allotrope, but has open edges that can be functionalised further. These belts have potential for nanoscale switches.
In 2013 Goroff was appointed the Associate Provost for the Integration of Research at Stony Brook University.
Goroff is a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Political career
In 2020 Goroff ran for the 2020 United States House of Representatives, going on leave from her faculty position at Stony Brook University. On June 23 she won the Democratic primary, with 36.1 percent of the vote, finishing ahead of 2018 nominee Perry Gershon. In November, she faced incumbent Lee Zeldin in the general election, losing by 9.8%. If elected, Goroff would have been the first woman scientist with a PhD.
Electoral history
Awards and honors
2000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award
2003 Thieme Award
2011 Stony Brook University Award for Excellence in Service
2013 American Chemical Society Award for Creative Research and Applications of Iodine Chemistry