Regents Professor Francis D'Souza is being recognized by the Society of Porphyrins and Phthalocyanines with the Hans Fischer Career Award for Lifetime Achievements. D'Souza is a Regents Professor in the College of Science's chemistry department who began his career as an independent researcher at Wichita State University in 1994. He joined UNT in 2011.

Considered an expert in the field of fundamental and applied porphyrin chemistry, he works with collaborators around the world. Porphyrins are central molecules that provide oxygen transport for life, such as heme in hemoglobin or chlorophyll for photosynthesis. The NSF and the Department of Energy have funded his research into the molecules for the past two decades.