2018 Recipients

The following are the recipients of the 2018 National Awards administered by the American Chemical Society (ACS). Vignettes of the award recipients appeared in the Jan. 8, 2018 issue of C&EN. The recipients were honored at the awards ceremony on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 in conjunction with the 255th ACS National Meeting in New Orleans. The Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award recipients will be honored during the fall national meeting in Boston, MA.


ACS Award for Achievement in Research for the Teaching and Learning of Chemistry

Sponsored by the ACS Exams Institute

George M. Bodner, Purdue University

Award Citation: For his contributions to the development of discipline-based educational research on the teaching and learning of chemistry in both introductory and advanced-level courses.

ACS Award for Affordable Green Chemistry

Sponsored by Dow Chemical and endowed by the Rohm and Haas Company

B. Frank Gupton, Virginia Commonwealth University

David Tyler McQuade, Virginia Commonwealth University 

Award Citation: For their outstanding success in developing a sustainable and efficient synthesis of neviraprine through a process intensification that reduced cost and improved access to HIV/AIDS treatment.

ACS Award for Computers in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research

Sponsored by the ACS Division of Computers in Chemistry

Jürgen Bajorath, University of Bonn, Germany, and University of Washington, Seattle

Award Citation: For the development and application of chemoinformatics and computational chemistry solutions to research problems in medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and the life sciences.

ACS Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology

Sponsored by the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry and the ACS Publications journals Environmental Science & Technology and Environmental Science & Technology Letters

Barbara J. Turpin, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Award Citation: For revealing the importance of aqueous-phase chemistry in the formation of atmospheric secondary organic aerosol.

ACS Award for Creative Invention

Sponsored by ACS Corporation Associates

Robert S. Kania, Pfizer

Award Citation: For work leading to the invention of Axitinib (Inlyta), a novel VEGFR kinase inhibitor as a treatment for renal cell carcinoma.  

ACS Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry

Sponsored by the ACS Division of Fluorine Chemistry

Erhard Kemnitz, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

Award Citation: For his studies on nanoscopic fluorinated materials that provided the foundation for a novel research field, which exhibits a high impact for fundamental and applied research.

ACS Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry

Sponsored by MilliporeSigma

Sponsored by MilliporeSigma

Brian M. Stoltz, California Institute of Technology

Award Citation: For the development of efficient methods, particularly cascade reactions, that allow for the efficient synthesis of complex organic molecules.

ACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry

Sponsored by Strem Chemicals, Inc.

Thomas B. Rauchfuss, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Award Citation: For leadership crucial to maintaining high standards and advancing inorganic chemistry and for sustained and creative contributions to synthetic inorganic chemistry.

ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in the Chemical Sciences

Sponsored by The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation

Jani C. Ingram, Northern Arizona University

Award Citation: For her outstanding accomplishments in recruiting and mentoring students from underrepresented groups, especially American Indians and Alaskan Natives, into professional careers in chemistry.

ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences

Sponsored by The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation

Rebecca T. Ruck, Merck

Award Citation: For her outstanding accomplishments aimed at enhancing and encouraging women into careers in the chemical sciences.

ACS Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution

Sponsored by Research Corporation for Science Advancement

Joseph J. Pesek, San Jose State University

Award Citation: For his research on the synthesis and characterization of chromatographic separation materials and the development of analysis methods and protocols.

ACS Award for Team Innovation

Sponsored by the ACS Corporation Associates

Vladimir G. Beylin, Pfizer (Retired)

Brian P. Chekal, Pfizer

Nga M. Do, Pfizer

David W. Fry, Pfizer (Retired)

Nathan D. Ide, Abbvie Inc.

Brian P. Jones, Pfizer Central Research

Peter L. Toogood, Lycera Corp.

Hairong (Angela) Zhou, Genentech

Award Citation: For scientific innovation leading to the discovery and development of palbociclib (Ibrance), the first CDK4/6 inhibitor for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.

ACS Award in Analytical Chemistry

Sponsored by the Battelle Memorial Institute

Michael Lawrence Gross, Washington University in St Louis

Award Citation: For development of mass-spectrometry methods that provide insight into physical-organic chemistry, enable environmental protection, offer new approaches in biochemistry and biophysics, and give understanding of human disease.

ACS Award in Applied Polymer Science

Sponsored by Eastman Chemical Company

Paula T. Hammond, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Award Citation: For her work in polymeric electrostatic thin film assembly, and its translational application to the fields of electrochemical energy and controlled drug delivery.  

ACS Award in Chromatography

Sponsored by MilliporeSigma

Janusz Boleslaw Pawliszyn, University of Waterloo, Canada

Award Citation: For the invention, development and commercialization of universal, UV, and fluorescence modes of whole-column imaging detection technology.

ACS Award in Colloid Chemistry

Sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive Company

Håkan Wennerström, Lund University, Sweden

Award Citation: For his outstanding contributions to our understanding and applications of the fundamental molecular interactions and forces in complex colloidal, soft matter, and self-assembling systems.

ACS Award in Industrial Chemistry

Sponsored by the ACS Division of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry

George P. Lahm, DuPont

Award Citation: For his outstanding accomplishments in the discovery of the anthranilamide class of insecticides and the commercialization of Rynaxypyr and Cyazypyr.

ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry

Sponsored by Aldrich Chemical Company LLC

James M. Mayer, Yale University

Award Citation: For explaining and applying the principles of proton-coupled electron transfer reactions in catalysis and bioinorganic chemistry.

ACS Award in Organometallic Chemistry

Sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company Foundation

Clifford P. Kubiak, University of California, San Diego

Award Citation: For his ground-breaking and detailed studies of the reduction of carbon dioxide by transition metal catalysts.

ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry

Sponsored by ExxonMobil Chemical

Carlton G. Willson, The University of Texas at Austin

Award Citation: For fundamental advances in synthetic polymer chemistry.

ACS Award in Pure Chemistry

Sponsored by the Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity and the Alpha Chi Sigma Educational Foundation

Mircea Dinca, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Award Citation: For innovative developments in chemical synthesis enabling permanently porous materials to be endowed with desirable properties such as electrical conductivity.

ACS Award in Separations Science & Technology

Sponsored by Waters Corporation

Massimo Morbidelli, ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Award Citation: For outstanding sustained contributions in fundamental understanding of preparative chromatography and development of innovative processes for the application of continuous countercurrent chromatography in biomanufacturing.

ACS Award in Surface Chemistry

Sponsored by the Procter & Gamble Company

Stacey F. Bent, Stanford University

Award Citations: For seminal work on organic functionalization of semiconductors surfaces, and for harnessing surface chemistry to gain control over atomic layer deposition processes.  

ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials

Sponsored by DuPont

Elsa Reichmanis, Georgia Institute of Technology

Award Citation: For pioneering research in design and development of polymer/organic materials and processes for advanced electronics and photonics and service to chemistry society.

ACS Award in Theoretical Chemistry

Sponsored by the ACS Division of Physical Chemistry

Emily Ann Carter, Princeton University

Award Citation: For pioneering development of orbital-free density functional, embedded correlation wavefunction, and efficient multireference wavefunction theories, applied to diverse sustainable energy phenomena and materials design.

Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society

Sponsored by the American Chemical Society

Carol A. Duane, D&D Consultants of Mentor

Award Citation: For her passion and work in ACS volunteer efforts to empower members with the skills to lead within ACS, their workplace, and their community.

Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic or Bioorganic Chemistry

Sponsored by the Alfred R. Bader Fund

Alison Butler, University of California, Santa Barbara

Award Citation: For elucidating the bioinorganic chemistry of the marine environment, including the chemistry of siderophores and vanadum haloperoxidases.

Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management

Sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company Foundation 

Margaret M. Faul, Amgen Inc.

Award Citation: For focusing on the career development of scientists to deliver practical solutions to synthesize new chemical entities to treat patients with grievous illnesses.

Ronald Breslow Award for Achievement in Biomimetic Chemistry

Sponsored by the Ronald Breslow Award Endowment

David R. Liu, Harvard University

Award Citation: For the development and application of powerful methods that integrate biomimetic chemistry and biological evolution to solve major problems in chemistry, biology, and medicine.

Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods

Sponsored by the Purdue Borane Research Fund and the Herbert C. Brown Award Endowment

Gregory C. Fu, California Institute of Technology

Award Citation: For the development of nickel- and copper-catalyzed cross-coupling methods and of nucleophile-catalyzed enantioselective reactions.

Alfred Burger Award in Medicinal Chemistry

Sponsored by Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Dennis C. Liotta, Emory University

Award Citation: For inventing antiviral drugs that more than 90% of HIV-infected persons on therapy in the U.S. take or have taken.

James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching

Sponsored by the Journal of Chemical Education and ChemEd X

Brian John Kennedy, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Virginia

Award Citation: For leadership in promoting student research at the high school level for his students and other students.

Arthur C. Cope Award

Sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund

Steven V. Ley, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

Award Citation: For his exceptional and creative contributions to the art of organic synthesis.

Arthur C. Cope Late Career Scholars Award

Sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund

Naoto Chatani, Osaka University

Award Citation:  For the development of transition metal-catalyzed reactions for the activation and functionalization of traditionally inert bonds.

William F. DeGrado, Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco

Award Citation: For ushering in a new era in which proteins came to be considered in much the same way that organic chemists had considered small molecules.

Dawei Ma, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Award Citation: For his outstanding accomplishments on ligand-promoted Cu-catalyzed arylation of nucleophiles and total synthesis of bioactive complex natural products.

G. K. Surya Prakash, University of Southern California 

Award Citation: For his outstanding contributions to organic chemistry, particularly in mechanistic chemistry, synthetic methodology development, and energy and fuel areas.

Arthur C. Cope Mid Career Scholars Award

Sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund

Frank Glorius, University of Münster

Award Citation: For contributing new modes of action in NHC organocatalysis and developing asymmetric arene hydrogenation and new transformations in metal-catalyzed C-H activation chemistry.

Heather D. Maynard, University of California, Los Angeles

Award Citation: For the discovery of high-yielding and readily adoptable methods to synthesize polymers, protein-polymer conjugates, and hydrogels and their applications in biology and medicine.

James P. Morken, Boston College

Award Citation: For contributions to the development of catalytic enantioselective diboration of unsaturated hydrocarbons and the application of these reactions to asymmetric synthesis.  

Keith Woerpel, New York University

Award Citation: For the development of new methods for stereoselective synthesis using organosilicon reagents, and for deepening our understanding of the structure and reactivity of oxocarbenium ions.

Arthur C. Cope Early Career Scholars Award

Sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund

Emily P. Balskus, Harvard University

Award Citation: For transforming our understanding of the chemistry and biology of microbes and their communities and for elucidating their remarkable mechanism for chemical production.

Robert R. Knowles, Princeton University

Award Citation: For the application of proton-coupled electron transfer to organic synthesis.

Elias J. Corey Award for Outstanding Original Contribution in Organic Synthesis by a Young Investigator

Sponsored by the Pfizer Endowment Fund

Seth B. Herzon, Yale University

Award Citation: For bold and creative contributions to the scalable total synthesis of complex natural products and organic methodology.  

F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry

Sponsored by the F. Albert Cotton Endowment Fund

A. S. Borovik, University of California, Irvine

Award Citation: For demonstrating that synthetic inorganic chemistry can harness the power of non-covalent interactions to regulate local environments around metal ions to control their function.

Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry

Sponsored by DuPont

Paras Nath Prasad, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York

Award Citation: For pioneering contributions in nonlinear optics and multiphoton processes in molecular, polymeric, nanoscale, and biological materials with profound impact in nanophotonics, biophotonics, and metaphotonics.

Frank H. Field and Joe L. Franklin Award for Outstanding Achievement in Mass Spectrometry

Sponsored by Waters Corporation

Carol Vivien Robinson, University of Oxford, United Kingdom

Award Citation:  For developing fundamental processes that allow membrane and soluble protein complexes to retain biologically significant states during mass spectrometry, prompting new fields of research.

Francis P. Garvan–John M. Olin Medal

Sponsored by the Francis P. Garvan–John M. Olin Medal Endowment

Valerie J. Kuck, Bell Laboratories (Lucent Technologies) Retired

Award Citation: For pioneering research on coatings for optical fibers and copper wire and for transformative achievements leading to a more diverse and inclusive chemical profession.

James T. Grady–James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public

Sponsored by the American Chemical Society

Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Award Citation: For celebrating the joy of chemistry with kids of all ages and sparking appreciation of science in an extraordinary number of public engagements and media.

Harry Gray Award for Creative Work in Inorganic Chemistry by a Young Investigator

Sponsored by the Gray Award Endowment

Dwight Seferos, University of Toronto, Canada

Award Citation: For the development and implementation of tellurophene and selenophene polymers and photoactive compounds.

Ernest Guenther Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products

Sponsored by Givaudan

David Ransom Williams, Indiana University

Award Citation: For his insightful and creative strategies for the synthesis of biologically active natural products.  

Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success

Sponsored by the Kathryn C. Hach Award Fund

Javier Garcia Martinez, University of Alicante, Spain and Rive Technology

Award Citation: For his visionary leadership creating a successful, dynamic company bringing mesostructured zeolites to the refining industry.

Joel Henry Hildebrand Award in the Theoretical and Experimental Chemistry of Liquids

Sponsored by the ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company

Lawrence R. Pratt, Tulane University

Award Citation: For outstanding contributions to the theory of hydrophobic interactions, polar and ionic solutions, and the statistical mechanical treatment of solvation-free energies.

Ralph F. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry

Sponsored by Merck Research Laboratories

Lila M. Gierasch, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Award Citation: For her seminal contributions to peptide structure and function, peptide models for protein folding and function, and roles of peptide and protein aggregation in disease.

Frederic Stanley Kipping Award in Silicon Chemistry

Sponsored by The Dow Corning Corporation

Tamejiro Hiyama, Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan

Award Citation: For the invention of silicon-based cross-coupling reaction and related synthetic reactions.

Irving Langmuir Award in Chemical Physics

Sponsored by ACS and the ACS Division of Physical Chemistry

George W. Flynn, Columbia University

Award Citation: For contributions to our fundamental understanding of the structural and chemical behavior of graphene interfaces.

Josef Michl ACS Award in Photochemistry

Sponsored by the Josef Michl Award Endowment

Jack Saltiel, Florida State University

Award Citation: For ground-breaking studies of photochemical reaction mechanisms, particularly cis-trans photoisomerization.

E. V. Murphree Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry

Sponsored by the ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company

Linda J. Broadbelt, Northwestern University

Award Citation: For distinguished contributions to the field of complex kinetic modeling, particularly the development of automated mechanism generation and mechanistic models applied to industrially important problems.

Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry

Sponsored by Avantor™ Performance Materials Inc.

Aleksandr V. Zhukhovitskiy (Student), University of California, Berkeley

Jeremiah A. Johnson (Preceptor), Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Award Citation: For pioneering contributions to persistent carbene surface chemistry and the development of materials that bridge polymer networks and supramolecular cage chemistry.

James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry

Sponsored by the ACS Northeastern Section

Cynthia J. Burrows, University of Utah

Award Citation: For seminal studies to elucidate the mechanistic pathways of oxidation of guanine and its derivatives to further our understanding of DNA damage and repair.

George A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry

Sponsored by the George A. Olah Award Endowment

Oliver C. Mullins, Schlumberger-Doll Research

Award Citation: For fundamental contributions codified in the Yen-Mullins model of asphaltenes, in asphaltene thermodynamics, in pioneering downhole fluid analysis, and in leading reservoir fluid geodynamics.

George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education

Sponsored by Cengage Learning and the ACS Division of Chemical Education

Pratibha Varma-Nelson, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis

Award Citation: For work on face-to-face and cyber versions of Peer-Led Team Learning, which has facilitated understanding of small-group chemistry learning in the two environments.

Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry

Sponsored by the ACS Division of Nuclear Chemistry & Technology

Suresh C. Srivastava, Brookhaven National Laboratory

Award Citation: For his outstanding accomplishments in the production and development of many radioisotopes and radio-pharmaceuticals that have and continue to provide medical benefit to patients worldwide.

Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis

Sponsored by the Gabor A. & Judith K. Somorjai Endowment Fund

David W. C. MacMillan, Princeton University

Award Citation: For his pioneering work in the development of organocatalysis, including fundamentally new methods based on radical intermediates, SOMO catalysis, and photoredox catalysis.

George & Christine Sosnovsky Award for Cancer Research

Sponsored by the George & Christine Sosnovsky Endowment Fund

Paul J. Hergenrother, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Award Citation: For his many achievements in new compounds, targets, and translational pathways for cancer therapy, including the treatment of canine/feline patients with spontaneous cancer.

E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy

Sponsored by the E. Bright Wilson Endowment

Richard J. Saykally, University of California, Berkeley

Award Citation: For the development of powerful new laser spectroscopy technology and its application for pioneering studies of molecular ions, water, and aqueous solutions and their surfaces.

Ahmed Zewail Award in Ultrafast Science & Technology

Sponsored by the Ahmed Zewail Endowment Fund established by the Newport Corp.

Xiaoyang Zhu, Columbia University

Award Citation: For his creative study and deep understanding of ultrafast dynamics in nano, molecular, and hybrid materials and interfaces.

National Fresenius Award

Sponsored by Phi Lambda Upsilon, The National Chemistry Honor Society

Thomas J. Maimone, University of California, Berkeley

Award Citation: For accomplishments in the field of synthetic organic chemistry, especially in the development of streamlined synthetic routes to complex natural products.