Shigeyoshi Inoue Honored with 2026 Frederic Stanley Kipping Award

Frederic Stanley Kipping Award in Silicon Chemistry: Shigeyoshi Inoue Sponsor: Dow Citation: For groundbreaking contributions to the synthesis and reactivity of low-valent silicon compounds, and advancing the potential of silicon in metal-free catalysis and small-molecule activation Current position: Chair of silicon chemistry, Technical University of Munich Education: BS, chemistry, MS, chemistry, and PhD, chemistry, University of Tsukuba Inoue on his hopes for the future: “We already live in a silicon world. It powers our computers, captures sunlight, and shapes countless materials. But chemistry still holds many secrets of this element. I want to uncover those hidden capabilities and show that silicon can be not only the element of technology, but also of innovation and sustainability.” What Inoue’s colleagues say: “As a leader in the field of silicon chemistry, Shigeyoshi has made groundbreaking contributions that have significantly advanced our understanding of this element and its chemical potential.”—Lutz Greb, Heidelberg University Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis: Scott J. Miller Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Gabor A. Somorjai and Judith K. Somorjai Citation: For pathbreaking advances in asymmetric catalysis and the site-selective modification of complex secondary metabolites Current position: Sterling Professor of Chemistry, Yale University Education: BA, chemistry, MA, chemistry, and PhD, chemistry, Harvard University Miller on his hopes for the future: “Chemistry is endlessly fascinating to me. I hope we will be able to continue to be discovery-oriented as this is a path to unexpected impacts.” What Miller’s colleagues say: “Scott’s contribution to hydrogen-bonding based asymmetric catalysis and site-selective catalysis is original and instrumental. The impact of his work is significant in terms of both practical applications and fundamental understanding of asymmetric catalysis.”—Jin-Quan Yu, Scripps Research George A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry: Marina A. Petrukhina Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the Morris S. Smith Foundation and Dow Citation: For trailblazing research on the stepwise, multielectron, alkali metal reduction of aromatic and antiaromatic hydrocarbons and the crystallographic characterization of the resulting hydrocarbon anions Current position: Distinguished Professor and Carla Rizzo Delray Professor of Chemistry, University at Albany Education: BS-MS, chemistry and radiochemistry, and PhD, inorganic chemistry, Moscow State University Petrukhina on the most rewarding part of her job: “The most rewarding part of running a research group in academia is watching my students grow—from classroom learners to creators of new knowledge in the experimental laboratory settings, and eventually to successful professionals across industry, academia, national labs, non-profits, and even law firms. It is always a special moment for me when my group members find time to come back and share their life stories.” What Petrukhina’s colleagues say: “Marina has pioneered techniques for determining the crystal structures of organometallic compounds consisting of hydrocarbon anions and group I metal cations and investigating them using multinuclear NMR spectroscopy. This work has had great impact on organic chemistry and materials science, by yielding insights into their electronic structures and reactivity.”—Harry Anderson, University of Oxford George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education: Norbert J. Pienta Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the ACS Division of Chemical Education and the board of publications that supports the Journal of Chemical Education and the Chemical Education Xchange (ChemEd X) Citation: For contributions as a researcher, innovator, and educator in chemistry, including his transformative leadership as editor in chief of the Journal of Chemical Education Current position: Professor emeritus of chemistry, University of Iowa Education: BS, chemistry, University of Rochester; PhD, chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Pienta on his most memorable role: “The opportunity to serve as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Chemical Education was challenging but also tremendously rewarding, especially the transition from it being an independent journal to being part of ACS Publications. The role served as the pinnacle and an appropriate end to the last 25 years of my academic career in which I conducted research and scholarship in chemistry education. The editorship gave me the opportunity to provide a lasting legacy.” What Pienta’s colleagues say: “Norb’s vision to translate chemistry education research into jargon-free guidance for faculty has shaped the practice of chemistry professionals at countless colleges, universities, and high schools.”—Stacey Lowery Bretz, Ohio Northern University Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry: Henry F. VanBrocklin Sponsor: ACS Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology Citation: For outstanding research accomplishments in radiopharmaceutical chemistry and molecular imaging, and for meritorious contributions to the education of future nuclear and molecular imaging scientists Current position: Professor of radiology and biomedical imaging, University of California, San Francisco Education: BS, chemistry, and MS, chemistry, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; PhD, radiopharmaceutical chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis VanBrocklin on a memorable project: “I have two. The first is the development of radiolabeled fluoroestradiol analogs for breast cancer diagnostic imaging, a project that launched my career in radiopharmaceutical chemistry. The second, more recent, project is preparing radiolabeled agents to detect reservoirs of and immunological response to infectious diseases, notably HIV and COVID, to enable curative strategies.” What VanBrocklin’s colleagues say: “Henry is a visionary scientist who has developed creative innovative approaches for the radiochemistry of new molecular imaging agents. His work is far reaching and impacts multiple disease states including Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and HIV.”— Suzanne E. Lapi, University of Alabama at Birmingham Harry Gray Award for Creative Work in Inorganic Chemistry by a Young Investigator: John S. Anderson Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Harry Gray as well as other individuals Citation: For discovering unique late base metal oxides, elucidating new paradigms in carbon-hydrogen bond activation, and leveraging dithiolene-based ligands for novel conducting materials and lumiphores Current position: Professor of chemistry, University of Chicago Education: BS and MS, chemistry, University of Chicago; PhD, chemistry, California Institute of Technology Anderson on who inspired him to become a scientist: “My grandmother was a chemist at Abbott. She would buy me a chemistry set for Christmas just about every year and would make me do math worksheets over the summer. Greg Hillhouse, my first research advisor, also had a big impact. There's nothing as intoxicating as making an entirely new compound that the world hasn't seen before, and to be able to do that as an undergraduate set me on my path.” What Anderson’s colleagues say: “John is an outstanding synthetic inorganic chemist who utilizes electronic structure tuning to achieve desirable reactivity and macromolecular physical properties. His chemistry has touched upon everything from small molecule activation in isolated coordination compounds or within extended metal-organic frameworks, to the isolation of reactive intermediates in catalysis.”—Theodore Betley, Harvard University Henry H. Storch Award in Energy Chemistry: Brett A. Helms Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the ACS Division of Energy and Fuels Citation: For trailblazing the use of high-throughput experimental and computational chemistry to accelerate the discovery of polymer architectures for energy materials Current position: Staff scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Education: BS, chemistry, Harvey Mudd College; PhD, chemistry, University of California, Berkeley What Helms’s colleagues say: “Brett is devoted to understanding architecture-property relationships in nanostructured materials of relevance to a broad palette of clean energy technologies. His work in designing polymers for batteries is particularly noteworthy and there has been considerable interest from the commercial sector in his polymer membranes.”—Thomas P. Russell, University of Massachusetts Amherst Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods: M. Christina White Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Purdue Borane Research Fund as well as other institutions and individuals Citation: For groundbreaking discoveries in site-selective carbon-hydrogen (C–H) oxidation and late-stage functionalization that have found broad application and greatly influenced leading research programs worldwide Current position: William H. and Janet G. Lycan Professor of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Education: BA, biochemistry, Smith College; PhD, chemistry, Johns Hopkins University White on a memorable career moment: “After discovering the aliphatic C–H oxidation reaction, I was analyzing the site-selectivity data and saw the oxidation rules emerge revealing that aliphatic C–H bonds could be preparatively distinguished based on their electronic, steric, and stereoelectronic environments. These bonds were packed with so much more actionable information than the field had long thought. Years later, I feel a similar excitement seeing the selectivity from other oxidants being retrospectively and prospectively analyzed using these rules.” What White’s colleagues say: “Christina’s contributions have beyond doubt changed the face of synthetic chemistry. She has also worked effectively to make her catalysts available commercially and these are now among the most widely used for late-stage functionalization in academia and industry.”—Ben L. Feringa, University of Groningen Irving Langmuir Award in Chemical Physics: Attila L. Szabo Sponsor: TheJournal of Chemical Physics and the ACS Division of Physical Chemistry Citation: For the theoretical analysis of nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation and single-molecule force and fluorescence spectroscopy that has led to numerous insights into the internal dynamics of macromolecules Current position: Distinguished investigator emeritus, National Institutes of Health Education: BSc, chemistry, McGill University; AM, chemistry, and PhD, chemical physics, Harvard University What Szabo’s colleagues say: “Attila’s constant stream of innovative and thoughtful theoretical works for the past 40 years has been of immense importance for rigorously interpreting the results of [a] wide variety of experiments, including nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation, time-resolved fluorescence depolarization and quenching, and both mechanical and optical single-molecule experiments.”—William A. Eaton, National Institutes of Health James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching: Xue Qing Liang Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the Journal of Chemical Education and the Chemical Education Xchange (ChemEd X) Citation: For developing and implementing innovative student-centered activities that improve learning accessibility and for expanding students’ learning opportunities with extracurricular science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) competitions Current position: Chemistry teacher, New Utrecht High School Education: BS, chemistry, College of Staten Island; MS, adolescence science education, Brooklyn College Liang on a memorable project: “The One Catalyst Research Club, which I founded 6 years ago, has grown into a well-known program that engages students in American Chemical Society events, STEM fairs, and research exhibitions. Watching students grow into confident young researchers has been incredibly rewarding and personally fulfilling. It’s a project that continues to inspire me and has made a lasting impact on our school community.”