Dmitri V. Talapin Honored with 2026 ACS Award in Colloid Chemistry

ACS Award in Colloid Chemistry: Dmitri V. Talapin Sponsor: Colgate-Palmolive Citation: For innovation in colloidal synthesis of nanomaterials and colloidal self-assembly and for trailblazing research in molten salt colloids Current position: Ernest DeWitt Burton Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago Education: MS, chemistry, Belarusian State University; Dr. rer. nat., chemistry, University of Hamburg Talapin on his scientific heroes: “My scientific heroes are my graduate students and postdocs. Many have shown a dedication to science that I can only admire. As one advances in a career, it’s easy to forget that the striking results in our talks and papers rest on hundreds of hours of careful, often tedious, effort by our team.” What Talapin’s colleagues say: “Dmitri’s research has significantly advanced colloidal chemistry, from synthetic methodology for novel quantum dots, to self-assembly and translational studies of additive manufacturing of optoelectronic devices. His methods are widely adopted by the research community and licensed by several companies to pursue commercial development of new materials pioneered by his group.”—Paul Alivisatos, University of Chicago ACS Award in Industrial Chemistry: Omkaram “Om” Nalamasu Sponsor: ACS Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Citation: For outstanding leadership contributions to the creation of equipment and processes for the large-scale industrial manufacturing of flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays Current position: Senior vice president and chief technology officer, Applied Materials Education: BSc, chemistry, Osmania University; MSc, chemistry, University of Hyderabad; PhD, chemistry, University of British Columbia What Nalamasu’s colleagues say: “Working closely together with a leading display maker, Om’s team demonstrated the process and equipment that enabled the introduction of high-resolution patterned OLED displays on the market.”—Stephen Forrest, University of Michigan ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry: Jonas C. Peters Sponsor: MilliporeSigma (a business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) Citation: For trailblazing the development of synthetic iron complexes that catalyze nitrogen fixation and for brilliant mechanistic studies that have revealed the catalytic mechanisms Current position: Bren Professor of Chemistry and director of the Resnick Sustainability Institute, California Institute of Technology Education: BS, chemistry, University of Chicago; PhD, inorganic chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Peters on his hopes for the future: “I really hope my laboratory will break ground in new areas of fundamental chemistry. I like surprises. Through service, I additionally want to help ensure that scientific discovery and innovation, in chemistry and so many other areas of science and engineering, remain vibrant and also welcoming to foreign talent in the US. This is essential.” What Peters’s colleagues say: "Through his work on molecular-based nitrogen reduction chemistry, Jonas has built a transformative inorganic program that has, in many ways, challenged our understanding of electronic structures while also unveiling fascinating, redox-adjustable bonding motifs."—François Gabbaï, Texas A&M University ACS Award in Organometallic Chemistry: François P. Gabbaï Sponsor: Dow Citation: For groundbreaking contributions to the organometallic chemistry of Lewis acids, their application in electrophilic catalyst design, and their use in anion transport Current position: Distinguished professor and Arthur E. Martell Chair of Chemistry, Texas A&M University Education: BS, chemistry, University of Bordeaux; PhD, inorganic chemistry, University of Texas at Austin; Dr. rer. nat. habil., chemistry, Technical University of Munich Gabbaï on what inspired him to become a scientist: “Nature inspired me to become a scientist. I spent a lot of my youth playing outside in southern France, fishing on the Dordogne River and snorkeling on the Mediterranean Sea. I became fascinated by what lived below the surface, which led me to decide in my late teens that marine biology would be a topic in which I would like to specialize. I started college with that intent and discovered chemistry along the way.” What Gabbaï’s colleagues say: “François has made several significant contributions to the organometallic chemistry of the main-group elements and has been one of the pioneers in the chemistry of Lewis acidic main-group ligands for transition metals. His work has significantly advanced the breadth of reactivity and catalysis mediated by transition-metal complexes featuring Z-type Lewis acid ligands.”—Joshua S. Figueroa, University of California, San Diego ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry: Geoffrey W. Coates Sponsor: Procter & Gamble Citation: For the scalable syntheses of biodegradable polymers from renewable feedstocks, of architecturally defined polymers, and of polymers that enable efficient energy storage and conversion Current position: Tisch University Professor, Cornell University Education: BA, chemistry, Wabash College; PhD, organic chemistry, Stanford University Coates on his hopes for the future: “I hope to continue to lead a vibrant research group despite the unprecedented headwinds facing American science; to deepen bidirectional partnerships with industry through collaborative projects, new ventures, and service on industrial boards; and to establish an institute at Cornell for sustainable materials chemistry that aligns fundamental discovery with scalable societal impact. By training new scientists and accelerating lab-to-market pathways, I hope to advance polymer science while developing technologies that improve people’s lives.” What Coates’s colleagues say: “Geoff’s innovative research, particularly in catalysis and sustainable polymer production, has revolutionized how the polymer chemistry community approaches the most pressing global challenges related to polymer synthesis and environmental sustainability.”—Craig Hawker, University of California, Santa Barbara ACS Award in Pure Chemistry: Phillip J. Milner Sponsor: Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity and Alpha Chi Sigma Educational Foundation Citation: For outstanding accomplishments combining organic and materials chemistry to advance fundamentally new directions in chemistry Current position: Professor of chemistry and chemical biology, Cornell University Education: BA, chemistry and mathematics, Hamilton College; PhD, organic chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Milner on a memorable project: “The idea of using metal-organic frameworks to store and deliver fluorinated gas for organic synthesis is something I have been excited about since graduate school. A talented group of my students and collaborators, led by recent PhD alumna Kaitlyn Keasler, were able to get it to work. This project cuts across organic chemistry and materials science in a unique and exciting way.” What Milner’s colleagues say: “What truly sets Phill’s research apart from his peers’ is that nearly all of the work in his lab is highly multidisciplinary, possessing a broad appeal to researchers across chemistry.”—Tristan H. Lambert, Cornell University ACS Award in Surface Chemistry: Andrew J. Gellman Sponsor: Procter & Gamble Citation: For the discovery of intrinsically chiral metal surfaces and trailblazing studies of their structure and enantiospecific surface chemistry Current position: Lord Professor of Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University Education: BS, chemistry, California Institute of Technology; PhD, physical chemistry, University of California, Berkeley Gellman names a memorable project: “The elucidation of the enantiospecific properties of intrinsically chiral metal surfaces.” What Gellman’s colleagues say: “Andy’s discovery of chiral catalysis on metals launched a new research field with an international community. He has continued to make new discoveries in this field through the development of new methods such as the use of curved single crystals to sample the structure-sensitive enantioselectivity of reactions.”—John Kitchin, Carnegie Mellon University ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials: Chad A. Mirkin Sponsor: DuPont Citation: For establishing the field of colloidal crystal engineering with DNA Current position: George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry and director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology, Northwestern University Education: BS, chemistry, Dickinson College; PhD, chemistry, Pennsylvania State University Mirkin on his hopes for the future: “Nanotechnology is far from being a fad. We have proven over the past 3 decades that it is an integral part of the fabric of science and engineering. Its convergence with emerging fields like AI [artificial intelligence] and synthetic biology is creating opportunities that were previously unimaginable. We only have a tiny glimpse of the many possibilities, and I am convinced that the best is yet to come.” What Mirkin’s colleagues say: “Chad has not only taught us how to synthesize oligonucleotide-nanoparticle conjugates—an entirely new class of materials—but has also elucidated their chemical and physical properties and applied the information to open new fields, benefiting society and transforming chemistry education.”—Mercouri G. Kanatzidis, Northwestern University ACS Award in Theoretical Chemistry: Garnet K. Chan Sponsor: Pariser family Citation: For the development of quantum chemistry methods for molecular and materials science and their application to resolve long-standing questions related to correlated electrons Current position: Bren Professor of Chemistry and director of the Rudolph A. Marcus Center for Theoretical Chemistry, California Institute of Technology Education: BA, chemistry, and PhD, theoretical chemistry, University of Cambridge Chan on the most rewarding part of his job: “The most rewarding part of my job is seeing the development of the younger scientists who I have the privilege to advise.” What Chan’s colleagues say: “Garnet is the intellectual driving force of his generation of quantum chemists. His research has unified ideas from quantum chemistry, condensed matter physics, and quantum information theory. He has also developed new methods that he has used to solve important open problems in molecular and materials science.”—William A. Goddard III, California Institute of Technology Ahmed Zewail Award in Ultrafast Science and Technology: Albert Stolow Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the Newport Corporation Citation: For outstanding contributions to time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of nonadiabatic molecular dynamics, strong-field ionization of polyatomic molecules, dynamic Stark quantum control, and coherent Raman scattering microscopy Current position: Canada Research Chair in Molecular Photonics, University of Ottawa and Quantum and Nanotechnologies Research Centre, National Research Council Canada Education: BSc, chemistry and physics, Queen's University; PhD, chemical physics, University of Toronto Stolow on winning this award: “I first met Ahmed Zewail as the external examiner of my PhD thesis under the supervision of John C. Polanyi at the University of Toronto. Zewail’s energy and drive inspired a generation of younger scientists to pursue research careers in ultrafast science. I feel fortunate to be amongst these.”