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Awards

2025 ACS National Award winners: Part III

Recipients are recognized for significant contributions to chemistry and the chemical community

by Nina Notman, special to C&EN
January 9, 2025 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 103, Issue 1

 

Alfred Bader Award in Bioinorganic or Bioorganic Chemistry: Wilfred A. van der Donk

Wilfred A. van der Donk.

Credit: Courtesy of Wilfred A. van der Donk
Wilfred A. van der Donk


Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Alfred R. Bader and Isabel Bader

Citation: For insightful and groundbreaking contributions to understanding the mechanisms of posttranslational modifications of peptide natural products and for investigations on the biosynthesis of lantibiotics

Current position: Richard E. Heckert Professor of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Education: BS, inorganic chemistry, and MS, inorganic chemistry, Leiden University; PhD, organic chemistry, Rice University

Van der Donk on his scientific hero: “That would have to be the late Chris Walsh. The cadre of scientists that he trained in his lab is incredible and has left an indelible imprint on the chemical biology community. Furthermore, the breadth and depth of his career work is stunning; he seamlessly switched into new directions on so many occasions.”

What Van der Donk’s colleagues say: “Wilfred’s research is a prime example of using chemistry to understand enzyme catalysis and discover new bioactive natural products. He uses synthetic chemistry to prepare inhibitors that allow trapping of enzymes in productive conformations and substrate analogs and isotopologs to provide key insights in the mechanisms of catalysis.”—Michael Marletta, University of California, Berkeley

Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society: Patricia A. Redden

Patricia A. Redden.
Credit: Saint Peter’s University
Patricia A. Redden

Sponsor: ACS

Citation: For more than 45 years of service focused on chemical safety, chemists with disabilities, and public outreach

Current position: Professor emerita of chemistry, Saint Peter’s University

Education: BS, chemistry, Cabrini College; PhD, physical chemistry, Fordham University

Redden on the most rewarding part of volunteering: “It is the opportunity to contribute to publications that make our academic laboratories safer for students and that address the needs of students with disabilities. The culmination was working with an incredible group of authors as the lead editor for the 2023 Committee of Chemists with Disabilities e-book, the fifth edition of Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities. Hopefully this book will enable more students with disabilities to enter the field of chemistry.”

What Redden’s colleagues say: “Pat has consistently been ahead of her time; she reminds me of the Barbara Mandrell song ‘I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool’ because she boldly followed her muse into areas to create innovative programs long before the rest of us realized their critical importance.”—Brian R. Gibney, CUNY Graduate Center

David A. Evans Award for the Advancement and Education of Organic Synthesis: Neil K. Garg

Neil K. Garg.
Credit: Courtesy of Neil K. Garg
Neil K. Garg

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Amgen, Eli Lilly and Company, Merck & Co., and friends and colleagues of David A. Evans

Citation: For extraordinary dedication, innovation, and excellence in organic chemistry research and education

Current position: Distinguished Professor and Kenneth N. Trueblood Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles

Education: BS, chemistry, New York University; PhD, organic chemistry, California Institute of Technology

Garg on a valued mentor: “I have to give a huge shout-out to my undergraduate advisor at New York University, Marc Walters. He took a chance on me during my freshman year in college by giving me the opportunity to engage in undergraduate research. Without that opportunity, plus all of his support and mentorship (and the occasional kick in the butt), I would have just fallen through the cracks.”

What Garg’s colleagues say: “Neil is widely viewed as one of the most innovative synthetic organic chemists in the world, while simultaneously being renowned for his unrivaled achievements in education.”—Kendall N. Houk, University of California, Los Angeles

Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management: Petr Vachal

Petr Vachal.
Credit: Courtesy of Petr Vachal
Petr Vachal

Sponsor: Dow

Citation: For outstanding management of chemistry innovation at scale and for the resulting impact on drug discovery across scientific disciplines and the wider pharmaceutical industry

Current position: Associate vice president of discovery chemistry, Merck & Co.

Education: MS, organic chemistry, University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague; AM, chemistry and chemical biology, and PhD, chemistry and chemical biology, Harvard University

Vachal on winning this award: “I am honored to receive this award that recognizes leadership in chemical research management. It strongly reflects the quality and dedication of the talented teams I have had the privilege to be a part of over the past 2 decades. Working at Merck Research Laboratories, where cutting-edge science, breakthrough innovation, and drug discovery expertise is coupled with an unbridled passion for saving and improving lives, has truly afforded me a rewarding career.”

What Vachal’s colleagues say: “Petr has distinguished himself as an authentic leader with unquenchable intellectual curiosity and an unwavering commitment to the pursuit of scientific excellence and an inclusive culture.”—David W. C. MacMillan, Princeton University

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

Franziska Schoenebeck.
Credit: Courtesy of Franziska Schoenebeck
Franziska Schoenebeck

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Pfizer

Citation: For the development of catalytic methods for modular chemical synthesis and for creative strategies to access fluorinated molecules

Current position: Professor of organic chemistry, RWTH Aachen University

Education: BSc, chemistry, Technical University Berlin and University of Strathclyde; PhD, organic chemistry, University of Strathclyde

Schoenebeck on why she chose to be an academic: “I get to interact with students and young researchers at the probably most motivated and energetic time of their careers. We ask questions together that we are passionate about, teach one another, and learn together with the shared motivation to challenge the status quo.”

What Schoenebeck’s colleagues say: “Franziska uniquely combines a cutting-edge synthetic organic chemistry program with state-of-the-art computational and mechanistic studies. She has demonstrated highly innovative advances in the fields of metal-catalyzed coupling reactions and organofluorine chemistry, underpinned by a remarkable breadth of understanding.”—John A. Murphy, University of Strathclyde

Ernest Guenther Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products: Phillip Crews

Phillip Crews.
Credit: Courtesy of Crews Lab Archive
Phillip Crews

Sponsor: Givaudan Flavors

Citation: For major contributions to the fields of marine natural products chemistry, spectroscopy, and drug discovery, and for the outstanding mentorship of marginalized students

Current position: Distinguished Research Professor of chemistry and biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz

Education: BS, chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles; PhD, chemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara

Crews on winning this award: “I am incredibly honored to receive the 2025 American Chemical Society Ernest Gunther award. This award program began in 1949 and is at the pinnacle of annual honors given worldwide for natural products chemistry. I am proud that this acknowledgment recognizes the decades of impactful marine natural products chemistry research carried out at University of California, Santa Cruz, by our team of PhD candidates, postdocs, staff, and undergraduates.”

What Crews’s colleagues say: “Phil is an undisputed leader in the field of natural products isolation and structural elucidation. He also has contributed more to the advancement of young and marginalized scientists than anyone I have ever encountered.”—Jef De Brabander, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

E. V. Murphree Award in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry: Christopher W. Jones

Christopher W. Jones.

Credit: Courtesy of Christopher W. Jones
Christopher W. Jones


Sponsor: ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering

Citation: For outstanding contributions to the development of materials and processes for extracting carbon dioxide from ultradilute mixtures such as ambient air

Current position: John F. Brock III School Chair in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

Education: BSE, chemical engineering, University of Michigan; MS, chemical engineering, and PhD, chemical engineering, California Institute of Technology

Jones on his hopes for the future: “I hope that we can continue to contribute to the commercialization of carbon dioxide capture technologies and that we will see continued growth of the deployment of direct air capture technologies coupled with geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide.”

What Jones’s colleagues say: “Chris has made outstanding research contributions to industrial and engineering chemistry on developing materials and processes for the most difficult carbon dioxide capture technologies: direct air capture. His vision has changed the entire research landscape of carbon capture in the United States.”—Ah-Hyung “Alissa” Park, University of California, Los Angeles

F. Albert Cotton Award in Synthetic Inorganic Chemistry: Raymond E. Schaak

Raymond E. Schaak.
Credit: Courtesy of Raymond E. Schaak

Raymond E. Schaak

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by F. Albert Cotton

Citation: For the development of rational synthetic pathways to inorganic nanostructures, nanoparticle libraries, and solid-state materials with complex compositions and structures

Current position: DuPont Professor of Materials Chemistry and professor of chemical engineering, Pennsylvania State University

Education: BS, chemistry, Lebanon Valley College; PhD, chemistry, Pennsylvania State University

Schaak on his hopes for the future: “Synthetic inorganic chemistry will continue to be at the heart of many fundamental and technological advances. I am especially excited about opportunities that interface synthetic inorganic chemistry with capabilities and tools from other disciplines, including automation and AI. There is a whole new dimension to synthesis, characterization, and discovery that is on the horizon. But there are many bottlenecks that must be overcome. I look forward to contributing to new capabilities as these fields grow.”

What Schaak’s colleagues say: “Ray’s group has helped to shift solid-state and nanoparticle synthesis efforts from a regime of largely serendipitous discovery to one of predictive mechanism-influenced design, and in doing so he has directly impacted diverse research areas.”—Richard B. Kaner, University of California, Los Angeles

Francis P. Garvan–John M. Olin Medal: Jean Chmielewski

Jean Chmielewski.
Credit: Courtesy of Jean Chmielewski
Jean Chmielewski

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Francis P. Garvan and the Olin Corporation Charitable Trust

Citation: For outstanding scholarly accomplishments and exceptional service in fostering a culture of inclusivity in research excellence for women and marginalized groups in chemistry

Current position: A. W. Kramer Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Purdue University

Education: BS, chemistry, Saint Joseph’s University; PhD, organic chemistry, Columbia University

Chmielewski on a message from her younger self: “I would like to send a message from my younger self to myself now and every 5 years from now. I would remind myself to stay bold and keep imagining and reaching for new frontiers. It’s easy to get comfortable and stop innovating—my younger self would not approve, and it’s her voice in my head that is always nudging me forward.”

What Chmielewski’s colleagues say: “Jean is a fearless and imaginative scholar who has earned international respect based on her interdisciplinary program that addresses fundamentally important problems at the interface of chemistry, biology, and medicine. Moreover, Jean has provided outstanding service to the chemistry community and exemplary mentorship of women and marginalized students.”—Samuel H. Gellman, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis: Gregory C. Fu

Gregory C. Fu.
Credit: Courtesy of Gregory C. Fu
Gregory C. Fu.

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Gabor A. Somorjai and Judith K. Somorjai

Citation: For contributions to catalysis, with a particular focus on the development of new strategies for enantioselective synthesis and the elucidation of reaction mechanisms

Current position: Norman Chandler Professor of Chemistry, California Institute of Technology

Education: SB, chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; PhD, chemistry, Harvard University

Fu names his scientific heroes: “They’re my three mentors—Barry Sharpless, Dave Evans, and Bob Grubbs. They are my role models with respect to creativity, education, and mentoring.”

What Fu’s colleagues say: “Greg’s work is characterized by exceptional creativity of design. It combines the skills of the organic and organometallic chemist and is grounded in the fundamentals of structural and mechanistic chemistry.”—Stephen L. Buchwald, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

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