ACS National Award 2026: James M. Mayer Honored for Physical Organic Chemistry

James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry: James M. Mayer Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the ACS Northeastern Section Citation: For defining bedrock understanding of hydrogen atom transfer reactions and related proton-coupled electron transfer processes that are pervasive throughout organic chemistry and many other fields Current position: Charlotte Fitch Roberts Professor of Chemistry, Yale University Education: AB, chemistry, Harvard University; PhD, chemistry, California Institute of Technology Mayer on the most rewarding part of his job: “The most rewarding part of being a faculty member is to team with students and postdoctoral fellows to understand results, formulate hypotheses, plan next steps, and extract larger principles.” What Mayer’s colleagues say: “James is a leader in the field of proton-coupled electron transfer and has made many significant contributions to this field. He is an outstanding experimentalist but also takes the time to understand the theoretical aspects of his work and to develop a conceptual framework that explains his experimental data.”—Sharon Hammes-Schiffer, Princeton University James T. Grady–James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public: Stephen M. Cohen Sponsor: ACS Citation: For extraordinary efforts in presenting the chemical enterprise in a positive light to the general public and to humanities academics through podcasts, books, articles, and lectures Current position: Independent scholar Education: BA, chemistry, University of Pennsylvania; MA, chemistry, and PhD, physical chemistry, Rice University Cohen on the importance of science communication: “We chemists know that chemistry is the ‘central science,' but the public considers chemistry the 'scary science.' It is also largely ignored in favor of cosmology, ecology, and medicine. We must show that chemistry is worthwhile, valuable, and life-changing to non-scientists. If we cannot explain to the layperson what we do and why, is it truly that important?” What Cohen’s colleagues say: “Stephen’s focus on presenting chemistry to the general public consists of a variety of means and media including journal articles, lectures, books, and podcasts to highlight the interdisciplinary nature of chemistry and its influence on and by the arts, literature, music, religion, and history.”—Mary Virginia Orna, College of New Rochelle Josef Michl ACS Award in Photochemistry: Claudia Turro Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Josef Michl Citation: For contributions to the fundamental understanding of the photophysical properties and photochemistry of transition-metal complexes using steady-state and time-resolved methods Current position: Dr. Melvin L. Morris Endowed Professor, the Ohio State University Education: BS, chemistry, and PhD, chemistry, Michigan State University Turro on a memorable project: “As a graduate student, I was tasked with setting up an ultrafast transient absorption system, an experiment that nobody in the department at the time had experience in. The challenges were enormous—from programming, to electronics, to alignment—and my lab mate and I spent months trying to make it work. Although it was terribly frustrating, it eventually worked. That was truly the time when I learned the most, not only about instrumentation, but perseverance.” What Turro’s colleagues say: “The impact of Claudia’s science can be seen in myriad research programs around the world, an impact that continues to grow as her foundational work in the areas of bimetallic photophysics and photodynamic and photochemotherapeutics becomes more widely appreciated, adopted, and leveraged in an increasingly diverse array of contexts.”—James K. McCusker, Michigan State University Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success: Eric A. Appel Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Kathryn C. Hach Citation: For outstanding accomplishments in the design and commercialization of biomaterials that have enabled novel approaches to wildfire prevention and biopharmaceutical formulation Current position: Professor of materials science and engineering, Stanford University Education: BS, chemistry, and MS, polymer science, California Polytechnic State University; PhD, chemistry, University of Cambridge Appel on his most memorable project: “Developing hydrogel-based fire-retardant technologies for wildfire prevention is my most memorable project. Leveraging core principles from controlled drug delivery and learning from years of research on hydrogel-based delivery systems in biomedicine, we created retardant formulations that adhere to vegetation and remain effective through weathering. Alongside Cal Fire, we showed these materials can provide season-long protection against wildfire in high-risk landscapes. This technology is now commercialized and deployed worldwide to help protect communities and ecosystems.” What Appel’s colleagues say: “Eric has built an internationally recognized research program developing polymeric materials for advanced solutions to pressing societal challenges. He has also launched three venture-backed start-ups to commercialize technologies from his lab, including wildfire prevention technology and biopharmaceutical stabilization technology.”—Yi Cui, Stanford University M. Frederick Hawthorne Award in Main Group Inorganic Chemistry: Gregory H. Robinson Sponsor: Endowed fund established by M. Frederick Hawthorne and Diana Hawthorne; the University of California, Los Angeles; and other individuals and institutions Citation: For contributions to metalloaromaticity, multiple bonding, small molecule activation, and other foundational discoveries that have significantly advanced main group inorganic chemistry Current position: UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, University of Georgia (UGA) Education: BS, chemistry, Jacksonville State University; PhD, chemistry, University of Alabama Robinson on a memorable project: “My most memorable project would have to be our work on the synthesis and molecular structure of the first molecule containing a gallium-gallium triple bond—which was also the first example of a triple bond between two main group metals. This finding vividly demonstrated that our traditional theories of structure and bonding were woefully inadequate for multiple bonding involving the heavier main group elements.” What Robinson’s colleagues say: “Greg’s synthetic accomplishments have had a major impact not only in main group chemistry, but they have also had an influence right across the whole of chemistry, particularly on the fundamental issue of bonding.”—Philip P. Power, University of California, Davis Marks-Ipatieff Award in Catalysis: Haotian Wang Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Tobin J. Marks Citation: For pioneering electrocatalytic materials, chemistries, and reactor concepts toward global sustainability Current position: Professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, Rice University Education: BS, condensed matter physics, University of Science and Technology of China; PhD, applied physics, Stanford University Wang on a memorable project: “The development of the porous solid electrolyte reactor for high-purity chemical synthesis was very memorable. Up until then, our work was largely centered on materials design, and we had relatively little practical experience in reactor engineering. What made this project particularly exciting was that we drew unexpected inspiration from advances in the battery research field. Motivated by those ideas, we decided to take the risk, pursue a trial, and ultimately achieved meaningful results.” What Wang’s colleagues say: “Haotian is an exceptionally creative and bold scientist and engineer, with a proven ability to deliver. His high-profile accomplishments and innovative thinking fuse together chemistry, catalysis, electrochemistry, and chemical engineering principles into a coherent, exciting area of catalysis research with profound societal impact towards decarbonization and sustainability.”—Michael S. Wong, Rice University National Fresenius Award: Maxx Q. Arguilla Sponsor: Phi Lambda Upsilon Citation: For trailblazing advancements in the chemistry of one-dimensional solids, particularly in the discovery of materials that enable next-generation integrated circuitry that approach the atomic scale Current position: Professor of chemistry, University of California, Irvine Education: BS, chemistry, University of the Philippines Diliman; PhD, chemistry, the Ohio State University Arguilla names his scientific hero: “It is Mildred Dresselhaus for her pioneering work in the physical understanding of low-dimensional forms of carbon—fullerenes, nanotubes, and graphite—that intimately linked their structure and chemistry with their emergent physical states. She also trailblazed the study of atomically precise materials that approach the atomic scale—these were thought to be quite exotic during her time but are now building blocks of next-generation devices.” What Arguilla’s colleagues say: “Maxx is a rising star in our department and contributes in countless ways to our community. I am very confident that he will continue to make great contributions to the fields of solid-state chemistry and low-dimensional materials, as well as in allied fields of condensed matter physics and materials engineering.”—Alan F. Heyduk, University of California, Irvine Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry: Jonas Rein (student) and Song Lin (mentor) Sponsor: Avantor Citation: For advancements in synthetic electrochemistry and redox organocatalysis What their colleagues say: “Jonas’s graduate research embodies a spirit of innovation in organic chemistry, integrating discovery of new synthetic methods with invention of new technologies for high-throughput experimentation in electrosynthesis. His work is already impacting research beyond the Lin lab.”—Shannon S. Stahl, University of Wisconsin–Madison Jonas Rein Current position: Postdoctoral fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Education: BS, chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz; PhD, chemistry, Cornell University Rein on the most rewarding part of his job: “Organic chemistry has a quick experimental turnaround, where a discussion in the office can lead to an experiment and analysis within hours. Most hypotheses turn out to be wrong but still add a small piece to the puzzle. After many iterations, the results suddenly form a complete picture, translating an idea on the board into a discovery in the flask. To me, that moment is one of the most rewarding parts of doing chemistry.” Song Lin Current position: Tisch University Professor, Cornell University Education: BS, chemistry, Peking University; MS, chemistry, and PhD, organic chemistry, Harvard University Lin on a memorable project: “The development of wireless electrosynthesis devices, which we call small photoelectronic electrochemical synthesizers (SPECS), was a major contribution from Jonas Rein and was very memorable. It pushed us outside of our comfort zone, as we learned to design and fabricate semiconducting microelectronics, an area far from our usual expertise in organic synthesis. Our collaboration with Paul McEuen, a physicist at Cornell University and cofounder of OWiC Technologies, made the process highly fruitful and enjoyable.” Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry: Martin Gruebele Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the ACS Division of Physical Chemistry and others Citation: For creative and trailblazing work defining modern physical chemistry in areas including the quantum information flow in molecules and protein folding on the fastest time scales Current position: Professor emeritus of chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Education: BS, chemistry, and PhD, chemistry, University of California, Berkeley Gruebele names his scientific hero: “It’s Stuart Rice. He was a ‘scientist's scientist' who wielded experiments, computation, and theory with equal ease. He picked his projects based on what he thought were deep problems, rather than the fad of the day, and had a lasting impact on many students of science.” What Gruebele’s colleagues say: “Martin’s work has been groundbreaking, technically elegant, and intellectually powerful. He combines extraordinary skill both in theory and in experiment. His courageous recognition that new technology can open up new vistas has revolutionized our understanding of molecular behavior in many different realms.”—Peter Wolynes, Rice University Philip J. Wyatt Award in Analytical Chemistry: J. Michael Ramsey Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the Wyatt Family Foundation Citation: For the invention, development, and translation of multiple micro- and nano-fabricated devices addressing chemical and biochemical analysis needs in the life, forensic, and environmental sciences Current position: Minnie N. Goldby Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, emeritus, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Education: BS, chemistry, Bowling Green State University; PhD, analytical chemistry, Indiana University Ramsey on the most rewarding part of his job: “Stanley Aronowitz stated in the late 1990s that academia was ‘the last good job in America.' It is indeed wonderful to be able to pursue one's scientific and technological interests along with fresh, enthusiastic young minds that form a research group. I have had the good fortune of working with many very talented students, postdocs, and staff members who advanced my research goals. What a great job to have.” What Ramsey’s colleagues say: “What I have always found most impressive about Mike’s accomplishments is the level to which he is engaged in the science. He not only comes up with the groundbreaking idea but also has an in-depth understanding of the fundamental science and how to design, build, and evaluate the instrumentation.”—Stephen C. Jacobson, Indiana University Ralph F. Hirschmann Award in Peptide Chemistry: Tom W. Muir Sponsor: Merck Research Laboratories Citation: For the development of enabling peptide and protein ligation methods and their application to provide groundbreaking new insights into a myriad of biological processes Current position: Van Zandt Williams Jr. Class of 1965 Professor of Chemistry, Princeton University Education: BSc, chemistry, and PhD, organic chemistry, University of Edinburgh Muir’s message to his younger self: “It's obviously a cliche, but don't sweat the small stuff. Also, listen carefully to your mentors, great advice is often hard to hear.” What Muir’s colleagues say: “With their creation of the expressed protein ligation technology, Tom’s lab has completely transformed our ability to synthesize proteins, enabling, for the first time, the creation of homogenous protein preparations that possess virtually any desired site-specific modification for biophysical and cell biological studies.”—Benjamin F. Cravatt, Scripps Research Ronald Breslow Award for Achievement in Biomimetic Chemistry: David A. Leigh Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Ronald Breslow as well as other individuals Citation: For trailblazing, highly influential, minimalist designs that reverse engineer biological mechanisms of energy transduction to control non-equilibrium structure and dynamics Current position: Royal Society Research Professor and Sir Samuel Hall Professor of Chemistry, University of Manchester Education: BSc, chemistry, and PhD, chemistry, University of Sheffield Leigh on his hopes for the future: “I shall be continuing to cheer on the new generation of fantastic young chemists who are now applying ratcheting concepts in different chemical contexts. Kinetic asymmetry (the basis of ratchet mechanisms) is the dynamic counterpart of structural asymmetry (i.e. chirality). Given its ubiquity in biology and its significance for behavior and function from systems to synthesis, it is surely just as fundamentally important.” What Leigh’s colleagues say: “David has reduced macroscopic engineering concepts such as architecture, fuel, and mechanics to the study of molecular interactions. This has greatly expanded the scope of supramolecular chemistry and provided rigorous, inspiring examples of chemical systems with molecular ratchets that mimic the process for transducing chemical energy that underpins all biology.”—Julius Rebek Jr., Scripps Research Thomas H. Parliment Award for Advances in Flavor Chemistry: Terry E. Acree Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Thomas H. Parliment Citation: For foundational achievements in identifying aroma impact compounds, creating instrumentation to study flavor, linking aroma compounds to perception, and training generations of flavor scientists Current position: Professor emeritus of food science, Cornell University Education: BA, chemistry, University of California, Berkeley; MS, chemistry, and PhD, chemistry, Cornell University