The American Chemical Society Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) has selected a new class of PMSE Fellows for 2026. The following distinguished PMSE members have been chosen:
- Padma Gopalan
- Dominik Konkolewicz
- Bindu Krishnan
- Megan Robertson
PMSE will honor at the next ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception. PMSE is pleased to welcome this distinguished group of polymer scientists and engineers to the ranks of fellows. Here is a short description of each of their careers and accomplishments:
Professor Padma Gopalan
University of Wisconsin-Madison
For outstanding contributions to the development of advanced polymer (bio)materials based on molecular engineering of the polymer building blocks.
For seminal contributions to self-assembly of polymeric materials at the interfaces of soft and hard materials
Professor Gopalan received her Ph.D. in Chemistry, from Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. Upon completion she conducted her postdoctoral work in Lucent Technologies, Bell Laboratories, NJ. She is currently a Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Eng. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds an affiliate appointment in the Departments of Chemistry, and Chemical and Biological Engineering. Her research is focused on developing nanostructured polymeric materials for addressing problems at the interface of chemistry, materials science and chemical engineering. Her group has developed: block copolymers and methods for their thin-film assembly in the sub-10 nm length scales, mixed polymer brush synthesis and self-assembly, and conjugated polymers for sorting and assembly of semiconducting carbon nanotubes. She is the recipient of NSF-CAREER award for 2005 from the polymer program of Division of Materials Research (DMR). From August of 2012 – August 2015 she directed the NSF funded NSEC center at UW-Madison and has been instrumental in establishing soft materials characterization facility on campus. She is the recipient of the Romnes Faculty Fellowship from WARF for 2015, the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor for 2015-2020, and appointed as Vilas Associate in 2017, and received the Kellett Mid-career award in 2022. She was a Co-leader in NSF-MRSEC center on campus (2015-2018). She was appointed to the prestigious position of a visiting Professor through the World Research Hub at Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, from 2018 to 2020. Professor Gopalan has published over 150 peer reviewed publications and holds over 25 patents.
Professor Dominik Konkolewicz
Miami University
For significant contributions to controlled polymerization techniques and the use of dynamic bonds in polymer networks and nanocomposites
Dominik Konkolewicz completed his Doctoral studies at the University of Sydney in 2011. Subsequently, he moved to Carnegie Mellon University, to commence his postdoctoral work (2011-2014). In 2014 he joined the Chemistry and Biochemistry Faculty at Miami University. Dominik was promoted to Associate Professor in 2019, Full Professor in 2022 and University Distinguished Professor in 2025. His group develops new polymeric materials for applications ranging from new photo responsive structures, dynamic and fuel responsive materials, bioconjugates, and polymeric systems for lipid self-assembly & membrane proteins. Recurring themes in his research are using physical chemistry principles to guide the development of new organic materials and the use of mechanistic analysis to guide sustainability and biomaterials applications. He has published over 180 peer reviewed articles over his career. In addition Dominik has a strong service record in the Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering division of the American Chemical Society, where he is currently the Chair Elect.
Dr. Bindu Krishnan
Dow Chemical
For inventions and technical leadership in using polymeric materials to deliver environmentally friendly and sustainable products and for her dedication to foster young and upcoming scientists
Bindu Krishnan, Ph.D., is an R&D/TS&D Fellow at Dow’s Polyurethane Business, focusing on strategy and technology development for adhesives and sealants in construction, infrastructure, and mobility markets. Since joining Dow in 2006, Dr. Krishnan has contributed significantly to commercialization of numerous innovations for the industrial and automotive applications. She has been recognized with multiple awards including AIChE’s Industrial Progress Award, ACS’s the SERMACS Industrial Innovation Award and the Edison Award™, Dr. Krishnan also advocates for gender diversity, leading initiatives such as Dow’s WIN and AIChE’s Women’s Initiative Committee and serves as a STEM ambassador. She has been very active with the Local ACS section. Holding a Ph.D. in Organic Polymer from the University of Bordeaux and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Akron, Dr. Krishnan has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and holds multiple patents.
Professor Megan Robertson
University of Houston
For transformative contributions to the development of sustainable polymers and their property relationships
Megan L. Robertson is the Neal R. Amundson Professor and Associate Chair for Faculty Development in the William A. Brookshire Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, as well as the Director of the Materials Science and Engineering Program, at the University of Houston. She is the project director for the Welch Foundation Catalyst for Discovery Center for Plastic Circularity and the Circularity Lead for the University of Houston Energy Transition Institute. Dr. Robertson earned her PhD at the University of California, Berkeley and conducted post-doctoral research at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests span diverse areas including polymers derived from renewable resources; polymer end-of-life processes such as recycling, upcycling, and degradation; advanced resins for polymer composites; stimuli-responsive polymer brushes; and thermodynamics of polymer blends. She is an ACS Fellow, Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors, recipient of the ACS Sparks-Thomas Award, and an Associate Editor for Macromolecules.