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Chemical Pioneer Award

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2010 Presidential Citiation of Merit
Dr. David M. Manuta
Dr. David W. Riley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chemical Pioneer Award

 

Call for 2025 Nominations
Deadline - 9/21/24
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chemical Pioneer Award:

The Chemical Pioneer Award recognizes chemists, chemical engineers, or their associates who have made outstanding contributions which have had a major impact on advances in chemical science and industry and/or the chemical profession. This award was first given in 1966.

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2024 Chemical Pioneer Award starting July 1, 2023.

Previous Chemical Pioneer Award Winners
2020 - 2029

2024 Chemical Pioneer Award
Recipient
Prof. Jin-Quan Yu
Bristol Myers Squibb Endowed Chair in Chemistry, Frank and Bertha Hupp Professor of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry
Scripps Research, La Jolla, CA
 

 

2023 Chemical Pioneer Award
Recipients
Professor Anthony Cheetham
Dr. Robert Langer
Dr. Robert F. Savinell
Dr. Kara L. Bren
Distinguished University Professor
Professor of Chemical Engineering
Case Western Reserve, Cleveland, OH
Richard S. Eisenberg Professor in Chemistry
Department of Chemistry Chair
University of Rochester, NY
 

 

2022 Chemical Pioneer Award
Recipients
Professor Anthony Cheetham
Dr. Robert Langer
Dr. Alison Butler
Dr. Chi-Huey Wong
2022 William H. Nichols Medalist
Distinguished Professor
University of California, Santa Barbara
Member, National Academy of Sciences
Scripps Family Chair Professor
Scripps Institute, CA
 

 

2021 Chemical Pioneer Award
Recipients
Professor Anthony Cheetham
Dr. Ann M. Valentine
Dr. Robert Langer
Dr. Benjamin Cravatt
Dr. Veronica Vaida
Prof. Jonathan L. Sessler
Gilula Chair of Chemical Biology
Professor
Scripps Research
CIRES fellow since 2000
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
University of Colorado Boulder
2017 Roenigk Lecturer
Chemistry Professor
University of Texas Austin
 

 

2019 Chemical Pioneer Award
Recipients
Professor Anthony Cheetham
Dr. Ann M. Valentine
Dr. Robert Langer
Dr. William H. Starnes, Jr., LFAIC
Prof. Peng Chen
Prof. Richard B. Kaner
Gottwald Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus
College of William and Mary
Consultant in Polymer Science and Chemistry
Peter J. W. Debye Professor of Chemistry
Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology
Cornell University
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
UCLA
 

 

2018 Chemical Pioneer Award
Recipients
Dr. Kenneth S. Suslick
Dr. Vicki H. Grassian
Dr. Mercouri Kanatzidis
Marvin T. Schmidt Research Professor of Chemistry, UIUC
Distinguished Chair of Physical Chemistry, UC San Diego
Charles E. and Emma H. Morrison Professor of Chemistry, Northwestern U.

Dr. Kenneth S. Suslick:
B.S.: California Institute of Technology (1974)
Ph.D.: Stanford University (1978)
Research Focus
The Suslick Research Group at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is multi-disciplinary. Their research projects involve individuals with interests not only in inorganic, but also in organometallic, bio-organic, materials (both inorganic and biomaterials), surface, analytical and physical chemistry.
The Group’s three major research areas are the chemical effects of ultrasound (which includes nano-materials synthesis and sonoluminescence), the mechanochemistry of inorganic solids (including shock wave energy dissipation by MOFs, i.e., metal-organic framework solids) and chemical sensing (specifically, the optoelectronic nose, i.e., colorimetric sensor arrays for the detection of VOCs). The latter project in artificial olfaction and molecular recognition is an exciting spinoff of their earlier work on the bioinorganic and materials chemistry of metalloporphyrins.
Capsule Bio
Ken Suslick came to the University of Illinois immediately thereafter. He has published more than 397 papers, edited four books, and holds 48 patents and patent applications.
Dr. Vicki Grassian:
B.S.: SUNY Albany (1981)
Ph.D.: UC Berkeley (1987)
Research Focus
Applications and implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology in environmental processes; aerosol chemistry and climate.
Applications and Implications of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology in Environmental Processes: Nanoscience and nanotechnology have potential use in a number of applications – including in environmental remediation and energy. In collaboration with colleagues, Dr. Grassian is investigating how nanomaterials can be used in a number of applications related to these topics. Another aspect of her team’s work is in the implications of nanoscience and nanotechnology and the environmental consequences of nanomaterials. Their studies are focused on the behavior of nanomaterials in environmentally and biologically relevant media. Additionally, they are collaborating with colleagues to better understand the potential health effects of manufactured nanomaterials should they become suspended in air.
Aerosol chemistry and climate: It has become increasingly clear that all kinds of particles - including ice, sea spray and mineral dust - are present in the Earth's atmosphere and that the surfaces of these particles play a role in the chemistry of the atmosphere ‘s and the Earth’s climate. In the Grassian research group, they are using a combination of surface spectroscopy, microscopy and particle analysis to gain a fundamental understanding of these important surface reactions. The Grassian research group collaborates with scientists in the Center of Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry and Climate (CAICE). CAICE utilizes a unique ocean in a lab approach to better understand the chemistry of sea spray aerosol.
Capsule Bio
Vicki Grassian joined the Department of NanoEngineering at the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering as a Distinguished Professor in 2016. She is also affiliated with the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Prior to joining UCSD, she was a distinguished member of the faculty at the University of Iowa for twenty-five years. She has over 250 peer-reviewed publications, in a wide range of journals spanning nanoscience, chemistry, atmosphere, environment, materials and engineering.
Mercouri Kanatzidis:
B.S.: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (1979)
Ph.D.: University of Iowa (1984)
Research Focus
Dr. Kanatzidis’ areas of research include inorganic chemistry, solid state and coordination chemistry of chalcogenide compounds. His research focuses on the design of new materials, exploratory synthesis, thermoelectric materials, nanostructured materials, intermetallics, mesoporous semiconductors, phase-change materials, conducting polymers, intercalation chemistry applications of new materials.
Capsule Bio
He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Michigan (1985) and Northwestern University (1986-1987) where he worked with Professor Tobin J. Marks (2002 AIC Gold Medalist) on conductive polymers and intercalation compounds. He became assistant professor at Michigan State University in 1987. He was promoted to full Professor in 1994. He moved to Northwestern University in 2006.
He has been most recently awarded the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Inorganic Chemistry (2016), the APS James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials (2016), American Physical Society (APS) Fellow (2016), the Samson Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation in Alternative Fuels for Transportation (2016), an Honorary Doctorate Degree from the University of Crete (2017), and the Hershel and Hilda Rich Visiting Professorship, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (2017).
 

 

2017 Chemical Pioneer Award
Recipients
Dr. Paul A. Craig
Dr. Jeffrey W. Kelly
Dr. Marek W. Urban
Professor of Biochemistry and Bioinformatics, Head of the School of Chemistry & Materials, Rochester Institue of Technology
Lita Annenberg Hazen Prof. of Chemistry – The Scripps Research Institute
J.E. Sirrine Foundation Endowed Chair and Professor of Chemistry – Clemson University
Dr. Paul A. Craig:
Ph.D., Biological Chemistry, University of Michigan, 1985
Postdoctorate, Biophysical Chemistry, Henry Ford Hospital, 1988
Research Focus
Dr. Craig works with faculty members to oversee student life in SCMS, representing SCMS in person and in print, and provides leadership and vision to the academic unit. Additionally, he heads an active research group where computational and wet lab methods are used to predict the functions of proteins.
The Human Visualization Project: A team of faculty and students from different colleges & departments at R.I.T. are collaborating to create a 3D virtual human all the way from gross anatomy to organs, tissues, cells, and molecules.
Proteomics: Working to develop interactive computer programs that simulate separations processes encountered in biochemistry and proteomics. To date, Dr. Craig’s team has developed simulations of ion exchange chromatography, and one- and two- dimensional electrophoresis.
Dr. Jeffrey W. Kelly:
B.S., Chemistry, SUNY College at Fredonia, 1982
Ph.D., Organic Chemistry, University of North Carolina, 1986
NIH Postdoctoral Training, The Rockefeller University, 1987-89
Research Focus
Dr. Kelly has held several different leadership positions at The Scripps Research Institute. He is presently Chair of the Department of Molecular & Experimental Medicine. His research team, The Kelly Research Group, has been investigating protein misfolding diseases, which are becoming increasingly common as the population ages and as we improve the diagnosis of these pathologies. Their goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms of protein folding and misfolding in a test tube, and in the cytoplasm and secretory pathway of mammalian cells. They also aim to develop new small molecule therapeutic strategies against these neurodegenerative disorders.
Dr. Marek Urban:
B.S./M.S. (1979) Materials Science & Engineering, AGH University Science & Technology, Krakow, Poland
M.S. (1981) Chemistry, Marquette University
Ph.D. (1984) Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University
Postdoctoral (1984-86) Dept. of Macromolecular Science, Case Western University
Awards
2003 - Innovation of the Year Award and Distinguished LETTERS Scholar (USM); 2004 - Distinguished Research Award (Marquette Univ.); 2006 – Outstanding Faculty Research Award (USM); 2009 – Distinguished Professorship Award (Shandong Univ., P.R. China)
Research Focus
The Urban Research Group, is an interdisciplinary research team interested in a broad range of fundamental and applied aspects of materials chemistry in general, and macromolecular science in particular. Their current efforts include: the design of self-repairing polymeric systems with light sensitivity, corrosion inhibition, anti-fouling, and other unique attributes; and the design of surface/interfacial reactions on polymeric substrates that lead to stimuli- responsiveness. Using chemical imaging as a tool, they design, develop, and formulate clever, environmentally benign materials attractive for many branches of technologies.
 

 

2016 Chemical Pioneer Award
Recipients
Professor Anthony Cheetham
Dr. Ann M. Valentine
Dr. Robert Langer
Dr. Rebecca L. Cann
Professor Donna Blackmond
Professor Michael Wasielewski
Dr. Rebecca Louise Cann: Professor of Cell & Molecular Biology – University of Hawaii at Manoa
B.S., Genetics, UC Berkeley 1972
Ph.D., Genetics, UC Berkeley 1982
 
She got a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She joined the faculty of the Department of Genetics, University of Hawaii at Honolulu in 1986.
Research Focus
Dr. Cann laid the experimental groundwork for the concept of Mitochondrial Eve, and the consequent Out of Africa theory. From late 1970s she had collected mtDNA samples from women of different ethnic backgrounds, such as from Asia, South Pacific, Europe and Americans of African descend. Following her research, a junior graduate student Mark Stoneking added samples from aboriginal Australians and New Guineans. In 1987, their collective paper was published in Nature in which their findings indicated that all living humans were descended through a single mother, who lived ~200,000 years ago in Africa.
Professor Donna G. Blackmond: Professor of Chemistry – The Scripps Research Institute
B.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 1980
M.S., Chemical Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, 1981
Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, 1984
 
Winner of numerous awards and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2013.
Research Focus
Prof. Blackmond has pioneered the development of Reaction Progress Kinetic Analysis (RPKA), and studied the nonlinear effects of catalytic enantiopurity. More recently Prof. Blackmond has expanded the range of models to rationalize the origin of biological homochirality from proposals based purely on chemical reactions to those based on physical phase behavior of chiral molecules as well as a combination of chemical and physical processes.
Professor Michael R. Wasielewski: Professor of Chemistry – Northwestern University
 
B.S. (1971) University of Chicago
Ph.D. (1975) University of Chicago
Affiliations
Clare Hamilton Hall Professor of Chemistry; Director, Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center; Executive Director, Institute for Sustainability and Energy at Northwestern (ISEN)
Research Focus
Prof. Wasielewski’s research centers on light-driven charge transfer and transport in molecules and materials, photosynthesis, nanoscale materials for solar energy conversion, spin dynamics of multi-spin molecules, molecular materials for optoelectronics and spintronics, and time-resolved optical and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy.

 

2014 Chemical Pioneer Award
Recipients
Professor Anthony Cheetham
Dr. Ann M. Valentine
Dr. Robert Langer
Professor Anthony Cheetham
Dr. Ann M. Valentine
Dr. Robert Langer
Prof. Anthony Cheetham was awarded The AIC Chemical Pioneer Award for his pioneering contributions to the synthesis and characterization of novel inorganic and hybrid materials (open-framework hybrids) and their applications in a variety of areas, including optoelectronics, magnetism and separation. Prof. Cheetham is the Goldsmiths' Professor of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge and the Treasurer and Vice-President of the Royal Society.
Prof. Cheetham has a long and distinguished career on the faculty of such prestigious institutions as Oxford and the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). He took up the directorship of the UCSB’s new Materials Research Laboratory, which he led for 12 years. He became Director of the newly created International Center for Materials Research at UCSB before moving to Cambridge in 2007.
Prof. Cheetham is a Fellow of the Leopoldina, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and several other academies. He has received numerous awards for his work in the field of materials chemistry, including a Chaire Blaise Pascal, Paris (1997–1999), the Sômiya Award of the IUMRS (2004), and the Platinum Medal of the IOM3 (2011). He holds honorary doctorates from several universities.
Dr. Ann Valentine was awarded The AIC Chemical Pioneer Award for her outstanding contributions towards advancing the science of chemistry and impacting the chemical profession. She is an Associate Professor at Temple University and currently serves as Vice-Chair of the Department of Chemistry.
Previously, Prof. Valentine had risen to the rank of Associate Professor in the Chemistry Department at Yale University. She served as a mentor in the Retention and Success Initiative through the Temple Teaching and Learning Center, focusing on increasing students' achievement in traditionally high-attrition courses across the university. She has embraced outreach and mentorship roles, including through the Philadelphia Area Girls Enjoying Science (PAGES) program and the Temple Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program.
Dr. Robert Langer was awarded The AIC Chemical Pioneer Award for his dedication to improving medical devices and materials for the sustenance of health. He has had a monumental impact on health and longevity of people worldwide. His distinguished career has earned him the rank of David H. Koch Institute Professor at his Alma matter, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute Professor is M.I.T.'s highest faculty honor.
Dr. Langer has served as a member of the United States Food and Drug Administration's SCIENCE Board and as its Chairman. He has received over 210 major awards, including the 2006 United States National Medal of Science, the Charles Stark Draper Prize (considered to be the equivalent of the Nobel Prize for engineers), the 2008 Millennium Prize, and the 2012 Priestly Medal. He is the most cited engineer in history.