PMSE is pleased to announce the 2024 Roy Tess Award to Dr. Wenjun Wu of Arkema Coating Resins.
Dr. Wenjun Wu received her B.S. degree (1986) and M.S. degree (1990) in Chemistry from Peking University, and Ph.D. degree from the University of Southern California in 1995. Upon completing her post-doctoral research at Henkel Corporation Research, she joined Union Carbide in 1996.
Dr. Wu has since progressed through various roles, serving as intellectual capital manager and research leader at both The Dow Chemical Company and Arkema Coating Resins. Over her 27 years in the industry, she spearheaded the development of numerous technology platforms and successfully brought to market over 25 emulsion polymer binders and additives. These innovations found applications in diverse fields such as coatings, personal care products, aircraft anti-icing fluids, and lithium-ion batteries. Dr. Wu is an inventor of 20 patent families.
Dr. Wu’s achievements have been recognized through 43 internal awards, including two best paper awards and two technology center awards from The Dow Chemical Company and two-time Arkema CEO Performance awards. In addition to her significant commercial impact at her workplace, she has received several prestigious industry awards and professional honors for her outstanding contributions and service.
- Society of Cosmetic Chemists Award
- American Coatings Best Paper Award
- Roon Foundation Award
- Siltech Best Innovative Paper Award
- European Coatings Award
- Mattiello Lecture Award
- American Chemical Society POLY Fellow
Dr. Wu is currently an Arkema research fellow and global waterborne innovation leader for Arkema Coating Resins.
The Tess Award is presented annually by the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering at the Fall National ACS Meeting in recognition of outstanding contributions to coatings science, engineering and technology. It is funded by a grant to the Division from Dr. and Mrs. Roy W. Tess. The purpose of the award is to encourage interest and progress in coatings science technology and engineering and to recognize significant contributions to the field. The Award consists of a plaque and a $3000 cash prize, and coverage of travel expenses (up to a maximum of $1500). We look forward to recognizing Dr. Wu at the PMSE/POLY Plenary Lecture and Awards Reception this Fall in Denver.