In Memoriam: Martin Pomerantz, Professor Emeritus in Chemistry

Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026 • Greg Pederson :

Martin Pomerantz, UTA professor emeritus in chemistry, May 3, 1939 - October 15, 2026

Martin Pomerantz, a retired College of Science faculty member in chemistry who was a major contributor to the growth of the department, passed away on October 15 at the age of 87.

Dr. Pomerantz came to UTA as an organic chemist in 1976 and upon his retirement in 2011 was named professor emeritus. He played an important role in the creation of the department’s doctoral degree program as well as in expanding the research profile of the department, which was renamed the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in 1992.

“Professor Martin ‘Marty’ Pomerantz made lasting contributions to our department,” said Rasika Dias, UTA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and former department chair who worked with Dr. Pomerantz for two decades. “He helped build our organic chemistry research programs and instrumentation facilities, played an important role in establishing the chemistry doctoral program in the early 1980s, and remained active in many departmental affairs throughout his career, including helping to design the Chemistry Research Building.

“Marty was a dedicated teacher, mentor, and colleague who shared his time, knowledge, and enthusiasm with students and faculty alike.”

Dr. Pomerantz’s research interests included fundamental organic chemistry, conducting polymers, multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic studies, synthesis and study of electronically conducting polymers with enhanced properties, coal chemistry, and electroluminescent polymers and model compounds.
In 1985 he helped UTA secure its first Texas Advanced Technology Research Program grant. In 1986 he was part of a group which obtained a five-year, $2.86 million University Research Initiative (URI) grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), with an additional $489,000 provided in matching funds by UTA. His research received continuous funding from 1977-2011, totaling around $8 million.

In 1997 he received the UTA Distinguished Record of Research Award and the Wilfred T. Doherty Award from the Dallas-Fort Worth Section of the American Chemical Society. He was a member of the American Chemical, Royal Society Chemistry, Phi Beta Kappa, and Sigma Xi.

He authored and co-authored numerous publications and presented his research at conferences and symposia around the world.

Some things he was known for were his sense of humor and his love of trout fishing. He also enjoyed traveling — he and his family visited all 50 states and more than 60 countries.

Dr. Pomerantz was born May 3, 1939 in the Bronx, New York to the late Harry and Pauline (Sietz) Pomerantz. He graduated from Bronx High School of Science, where he developed an interest in chemistry. He went on to study at City College of New York, where he received a B.S. in chemistry in 1959. He earned M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in organic chemistry from Yale University in 1961 and 1964, respectively. At Yale he was named a Woodrow Wilson Fellow, a Leeds and Northrup Fellow, a National Science Foundation (NSF) Fellow, and an Honorary Sterling Fellow.

He completed an NSF postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and began his faculty career at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, which later merged with Western Reserve University to become Case Western Reserve University. Five years later he moved his research group to Yeshiva University in New York City, where he worked for six years before coming to UTA.

Dr. Pomerantz is survived by his wife of 65 years, Maxine; son, Lee; daughters, Wendy and Heidi; son-in-law, Ryan; and grandson, Jack.

A graveside memorial service was held October 18 at Hillcrest Mausoleum and Memorial Park in Dallas.

Donations in his memory can be made to the American Stroke Association or Congregation Shearith Israel in Dallas.

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