2025 ACS National Award winners: Part IV

George A. Olah Award in Hydrocarbon or Petroleum Chemistry: Bipin V. Vora

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the Morris S. Smith Foundation and Dow

Citation: For the successful development and commercialization of technologies for catalytic dehydrogenation, the conversion of methanol to olefins, and the production of biodegradable detergents

Current position: Fellow (retired), Honeywell UOP, and professor of chemical and biological engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology

Education: BS, chemistry, University of Mumbai; BS, chemical engineering, and MS, chemical engineering, University of New Mexico

Vora on a memorable project: “It is the development of the propane and isobutane catalytic dehydrogenation process now named the Honeywell UOP Oleflex process. I led the project from concept to commercialization, which took more than a decade of great teamwork. To develop a new catalytic process means inventing a catalyst, developing a process with a reactor system employing the catalyst, doing a detailed engineering design including safety and hazard analysis, and having a successful commercial operation.”

What Vora’s colleagues say: “Bipin is a prolific inventor, with 95 US patents, of which 22 have him as a sole inventor. The technologies he developed are practiced worldwide, generating revenue in excess of $25 billion annually. Those technologies have a significant impact on the environment, reducing pollution and enhancing our quality of life.”—Abhaya K. Datye, University of New Mexico

George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education: Peter Mahaffy

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the ACS Division of Chemical Education and the board of publications that supports the Journal of Chemical Education and ChemEd X

Citation: For passionately advocating for the incorporation of the human element into chemistry education and using systems thinking to integrate sustainability into chemistry teaching, learning, and practice

Current position: Professor of chemistry and director of King’s Centre for Visualization in Science, King’s University in Edmonton, Alberta

Education: BA, chemistry, Dordt University; PhD, organic chemistry, Indiana University

Mahaffy on his hopes for the future: “Chemistry education has a critical role to play in the emergence of sustainability. We need to reimagine the way we teach and learn, helping our students use systems thinking to see connections between chemistry and their lives and the complex sustainability challenges our planet faces. I’d like to continue to contribute to global initiatives that are equipping students in our classrooms now to be sustainability leaders and global citizens in the decades to come.”

What Mahaffy’s colleagues say: “Peter has transformed undergraduate chemistry education on a global scale. His powerful advocacy for incorporating the human dimension has been transformational and inspirational to a wide range of chemistry educators, including those who teach chemistry majors.”—Matthew Fisher, Saint Vincent College

Glenn T. Seaborg Award for Nuclear Chemistry: ManYee Betty Tsang

Sponsor: ACS Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology

Citation: For exceptional research contributions related to the equation of state of nuclear matter and neutron stars, the production of unstable nuclei, and the dynamics of heavy-ion collisions

Current position: Professor of nuclear science, Michigan State University

Education: BS, mathematics, California State University, Bakersfield; PhD, physical chemistry, University of Washington

Tsang on who inspired her to become a scientist: “My husband and longtime collaborator, William G. Lynch, has been my constant supporter in pursuing academic research. He and my PhD advisor saw my potential to become a successful experimentalist. Throughout my career, while raising two daughters, he has offered unwavering support and, most importantly, optimism during many challenging moments in my research. His persistence and focus often provides glimmers of hope when I feel trapped.”

What Tsang’s colleagues say: “Betty is well recognized internationally as a leader in the field of heavy-ion reactions, equation-of-state studies, and isospin physics. Throughout her career, she has made truly original and impactful contributions in these areas.”—Joseph B. Natowitz, Texas A&M University

Harry Gray Award for Creative Work in Inorganic Chemistry by a Young Investigator: Shiyu Zhang

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Harry Gray and and others

Citation: For contributions to copper chemistry related to biomimetic catalysts, nitrosyl complexes, and C–H functionalization

Current position: Professor of chemistry and biochemistry, Ohio State University

Education: BS, chemistry and biology, Jilin University; PhD, chemistry, Georgetown University

Zhang on who inspired him to become a scientist:“My interest in chemistry started early, growing up in Jilin, a town in northeast China, where many people worked in a chemical plant. My parents, a math teacher and a physics teacher, instilled in me the value of science. Ultimately, it was my wife’s support and encouragement that gave me the confidence and determination to pursue a career in academia.”

What Zhang’s colleagues say: “Shiyu is an exciting young researcher who has established an impressive independent program in synthetic inorganic chemistry. His research impacts fundamental reactivity challenges in organic chemistry (C–H functionalization), biological chemistry (modeling of metalloenzyme active sites), and energy storage (sulfur-containing redox materials).”—Shannon S. Stahl, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Henry H. Storch Award in Energy Chemistry: Thuc-Quyen Nguyen

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the ACS Division of Energy and Fuels

Citation: For outstanding contributions to the fundamental understanding and development of organic solar cells for green energy generation

Current position: Professor of chemistry and biochemistry, University of California, Santa Barbara

Education: AA, Santa Monica College; BS, chemistry, MS, physical chemistry, and PhD, physical chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles

Nguyen on a memorable project: “It was when I first started working on organic solar cells. My interest in energy research traces back to my childhood. I spent my first 16 years in small villages in Vietnam that lacked basic needs such as drinking water, food, or clothing. Our homes also lacked electricity, making it impossible to study or work after sundown. I remember dreaming of capturing some of the sunlight during the day so that I could study at night.”

What Nguyen’s colleagues say: “The broad and deep understanding of chemistry and physics that Thuc-Quyen clearly demonstrates is very rare indeed. In the field of organic electronics, this combination of strengths is particularly powerful and gives her the ability to set directions that many in the field then follow.”—Richard Friend, University of Cambridge

Herbert C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods: Brian M. Stoltz

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Purdue Borane Research Fund and others

Citation: For contributions to metal-catalyzed methods for organic synthesis, including the development of enantioselective alkylation processes

Current position: Victor and Elizabeth Atkins Professor of Chemistry and investigator, Heritage Medical Research Institute, California Institute of Technology

Education: BS, chemistry, and BA, German, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; MS, organic chemistry, and PhD, organic chemistry, Yale University

Stoltz on a memorable project: “Being a part of a multiuniversity collaboration that developed the first general platform for the electron crystallography of small molecules was an incredible experience. Personally taking a rotovapped film from the inside of a vial, scraping it into a powder, and loading it directly into an electron microscope, only to see the three-dimensional structure of the molecule appear on a computer screen an instant later was the most exciting moment of my scientific career.”

What Stoltz’s colleagues say: “Brian is a rare individual in that he not only devises powerful new reactions that are of broad synthetic utility but also tackles very tough synthetic targets that rely on these newly developed methods.”—Mark Lautens, University of Toronto

James Bryant Conant Award in High School Chemistry Teaching: Amiee L. Modic

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the Journal of Chemical Education and ChemEd X

Citation: For striving to continuously improve her knowledge and teaching skills, inspiring colleagues and students alike

Current position: Chemistry teacher, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart

Education: BS, chemistry, Michigan Technological University; MS, science education, Montana State University

Modic’s message to her younger self: “Be patient, be authentic, and start early on building a network of colleagues beyond your workplace. Also, get to work early or stay at work late—but don’t do both or you will burn out.”

What Modic’s colleagues say: “Amiee is a rare type of teacher: one who continuously improves her knowledge and skills, is receptive to change, and is willing to share her knowledge and time for the betterment of the teaching community.”—Roxana Allen, Saint John’s School

James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry: Miguel A. García-Garibay

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by the ACS Northeastern Section

Citation: For integrating organic crystals into physical organic chemistry through contributions in photochemical sciences and for the creation of amphidynamic crystals as a platform for molecular machines

Current position: Distinguished Professor and Dean of Physical Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles

Education: BS, chemistry and pharmacobiology, University of Michoacán; PhD, chemistry, University of British Columbia

García-Garibay on the most rewarding part of his job: “Asking questions, exchanging ideas, and analyzing data with a diverse team of coworkers and collaborators is the most rewarding part of my job. The range of perspectives brought by people from different backgrounds almost always leads to rewarding, out-of-the-box hypotheses, exciting experiments, and elegant solutions.”

What García-Garibay’s colleagues say: “Miguel’s ability to seamlessly meld cutting-edge molecular design with groundbreaking characterization is defining the future of physical organic chemistry. Together with his outstanding contributions to the community and diversity, equity, and inclusion issues, Miguel is inspiring the next generation of researchers.”—Craig J. Hawker, University of California, Santa Barbara

James T. Grady–James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public: Andy Brunning

Sponsor: ACS

Citation: For creating the instantly recognizable and clear Compound Interest chemistry infographics that are shared globally on classroom walls and social media streams

Current position: Science communicator and infographic designer, Compound Interest

Education: BS, chemistry, University of Bath

Brunning on a memorable project: “During the International Year of the Periodic Table in 2019, I worked with the Royal Society of Chemistry to make an infographic for each of the 118 elements, highlighting interesting properties and uses. We had them all printed as a giant periodic table for schools to display. I’ve got my own printed element tiles too, but still haven’t found a big enough unused wall space in my house to put them up.”

What Brunning’s colleagues say: “Andy exhaustively researches and artfully designs his infographics, resulting in a characteristically effective depiction of complex chemistry in a way that invites people—not just chemists—to pore over it, usually with a smile on their face.”—Preston J. MacDougall, Middle Tennessee State University

Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success: Sheila DeWitt

Sponsor: Endowed fund established by Kathryn C. Hach

Citation: For exceptional entrepreneurial endeavors in the areas of combinatorial chemistry, microfluidics, and deuterium-enriched therapeutics

Current position: President and CEO, DeuteRx

Education: BA, chemistry, Cornell University; PhD, organic chemistry, Duke University

DeWitt on her scientific hero: “It is Frances Oldham Kelsey. During her first month at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), she refused to approve thalidomide in the US due to safety concerns. Her decision was validated when thalidomide was found to cause severe birth defects. Her persistence saved countless lives and led to laws strengthening FDA oversight of pharmaceuticals. I admire her pioneering spirit and unwavering commitment to integrity in science—values that have inspired me throughout my career.”

What DeWitt’s colleagues say: “Sheila’s entrepreneurial undertakings are truly vast in scope. She has led the start-up or turnaround of nine biotechnology companies or business units. She also spearheaded the shutdown and sale of assets of a publicly traded company and managed global R&D organizations with annual budgets of up to $30 million.”—Bruce Ganem, Cornell University