ACS Fellows Eligibility & Selection Criteria

• Eligibility Criteria: Nominees
  
• Eligibility Criteria: Nominators
• Selection Criteria
• General Selection Information

Please refer to the 2024 ACS Fellows Program Guidelines for full eligibility criteria.

Eligibility Criteria

Nominees

• Nominees for the ACS Fellows Program must be current members (including retired and emeritus members) of the American Chemical Society in good standing with either a standard or premium membership package.
• Current members of the ACS Fellows Selection Committee, the ACS Fellows Oversight Committee, and the ACS Board of Directors, as well as current ACS staff, are not eligible to be nominees.
• Former members or deceased members will not be considered as nominees for the ACS Fellows Program. However, if a member dies after their name is submitted as a nominee and if that member is ultimately selected, they will be granted the ACS Fellow designation posthumously.
• Nominees, in past and present circumstances, are expected to employ and require good safety protocols and practices in their laboratories and/or work environments; uphold the highest ethical standards in their laboratories and/or work environments; and otherwise engage in conduct that is consistent with both the objects of the American Chemical Society in Article I Section II of its Constitution and the Chemical Professional's Code of Conduct. Nominators must address this in the online nomination form.
  
• Nomination for other awards, including national, regional, or local ACS awards, does not disqualify a member from being nominated for the ACS Fellows.

Nominators

• Primary and secondary nominators must be current members (including retired and emeritus members) of the American Chemical Society in good standing with either a standard or premium membership package.
• Current members of the ACS Fellows Selection Committee, the ACS Fellows Oversight Committee, and the ACS Board of Directors, as well as current ACS staff, are not eligible to be primary or secondary nominators. 
• The primary nominator must be eligible to submit as an individual member or on behalf of a Committee, International Chemical Sciences Chapter, Local Section, or Technical Division. Refer to the Nomination Types page for specific eligibility requirements for primary nominators.
• No more than one of the nominators (primary or secondary) may be from the same work group at the nominee’s primary place of employment. If the nominee is retired, only one nominator (primary or secondary) may be from the nominee’s last place of employment prior to retirement.
  
• Refer to the Nomination Types page for guidelines about serving as a nominator for more than one nomination.

Selection Criteria

The selection of ACS Fellows is based on documented excellence and leadership in both of two areas: (1) science, the profession, education, and/or management, and (2) volunteer service in the ACS community. Nomination documents must address both of these areas.

(1) Documented excellence and leadership that has an impact in the science, the profession, education, and/or management. Appropriate activities might include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Outstanding and creative contributions to basic and/or applied scientific research;
• Distinguished accomplishments in the teaching and learning of chemistry;
• Demonstrated leadership or managerial excellence in an organization within the chemical enterprise.

(2) Documented excellence and leadership in volunteer service, based on specific results achieved, in service to the ACS and its membership and community. Appropriate activities might include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Outstanding leadership, documented through specific results achieved, of Committees, International Chemical Sciences Chapters, Local Sections, Technical Divisions, Advisory Boards, Regional Boards, or regional, national, and/or international meetings;
• Exceptional service in the publication of scientific information, not including routine authorship or compensated services as Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor, or equivalent positions; 
• Organization of especially significant symposia, major presentations, or other programming at national/international meetings; 
• Leadership or other outstanding contributions to public outreach activities such as National Chemistry Week and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week;
• Effective communication to the public and to policymakers about the value of the chemical sciences or chemical professionals through the press, TV, or other media;
• Exceptional volunteer service to the ACS and with strategic partners, including other national or international scientific or chemical associations, committees, roundtables, and conferences to help advance the mission of ACS.

Documented evidence must be provided of exceptional accomplishments, professional attainment, and impact in both of the above two areas. Excellence in research, teaching, or management alone is not enough, nor is exceptional leadership of ACS activities; members selected as ACS Fellows must have excelled in multiple areas. In assessing the qualifications of a nominee, the ACS Fellows Selection Committee will weigh the depth, extent, and impact of the nominee’s activities as documented in the nomination submission.

General Selection Information

ACS Fellows are selected by a broadly representative selection committee recommended by the ACS Immediate Past President and appointed by the Chair of the ACS Board Committee on Professional and Member Relations (P&MR). P&MR, acting through the ACS Fellows Oversight Committee, conducts governance oversight for the ACS Fellows Program.

ACS Fellows are expected to engage in conduct that is consistent with both the objects of the American Chemical Society as stated in Article I Section II of its Constitution and the Chemical Professional's Code of Conduct.

Members retain their designation as an ACS Fellow, ACSF, for life, unless rescinded under Sec. IX of the ACS Fellows Program Guidelines.

The body of ACS Fellows is expected to reach a steady state of 1 to 2% of the ACS membership and to reflect not only excellence but also the diverse contributions made by ACS members.