Dr. Lela Vukovic is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at The University of Texas at El Paso. Her research focuses on computational chemistry approaches to understand molecular recognition at biomolecule-nanomaterial interfaces, with applications in biosensing and biomedical nanotechnology. She has published broadly in computational and biophysical chemistry and her work has been supported by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Vukovic is also a Humboldt Research Fellow and the recipient of the UTEP Distinguished Faculty Award.

Her teaching spans undergraduate and graduate courses in physical and computational chemistry, where she emphasizes student success in mathematically and conceptually demanding material. As an advocate for curriculum innovation, Dr. Vukovic has introduced hands-on modules in artificial intelligence and machine learning into the undergraduate chemistry curriculum, funded by the Academy of Distinguished Teachers grant, created a graduate course on scientific writing and communication, and is developing new materials and approaches to support student preparation in physical chemistry. She mentors undergraduate and graduate researchers, who have gone on to earn awards and positions in academia and industry. Her mission in the classroom is to combine rigor with support, preparing students to thrive in their academic and professional careers.

Prior to her time at UTEP, Dr. Vukovic completed her B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago, followed by research at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and postdoctoral work at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.