American Chemical Society comment available Oct. 5 on 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2016 — To assist with coverage of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society, will issue a statement from ACS Executive Director and CEO Thomas M. Connelly Jr., Ph.D., shortly after the official announcement in Stockholm on Oct. 5. Connelly also will be available for interviews shortly after the chemistry prize announcement until 9 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, plans to make the announcement at about 5:45 a.m. EDT on Oct. 5. Connelly will be available for telephone interviews beginning at 6:15 a.m. Journalists are encouraged to schedule an interview in advance by contacting the ACS Office of Public Affairs (using the contact information above) by 5 p.m. EDT on Oct. 4. Scheduling of interviews will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Many past winners of the chemistry prize were ACS members and authors of research papers published in ACS’ suite of nearly 50 peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Thomas M. Connelly Jr., Ph.D., is the executive director and CEO of the American Chemical Society. Prior to joining ACS, he served as chief science and technology officer, and then as chief innovation officer for the DuPont Company. In these roles, he was responsible for science and technology, with special emphases on polymer science, chemical process development, and later, bioprocessing for chemical synthesis and production. At DuPont, he led R&D organizations and businesses, while based in the U.S., Europe and Asia. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and he holds degrees in engineering and economics from Princeton University, and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Cambridge.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With nearly 157,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.