The ACS Global Outstanding Graduate Student and Mentor Award serves to recognize two student – mentor pairs, one from the United States and one from anywhere in the world, and to disseminate the latest knowledge of polymer research. The winners will be celebrated with an award symposium at the Fall 2026 National ACS Meeting. The award, sponsored by Chemical Marketing & Economics, Inc. (CME) and co-organized by CME and PMSE, honors graduate students within one year of graduation, or a recent graduate who has completed an outstanding thesis in polymer research accepted by a university during the three-year period prior to January 1 of the award year. PMSE and CME are proud to announce this year’s winners:
ACS Global Outstanding Graduate Student
Dr. Lei Chen
University of Manchester
Lei Chen graduated with his BSc from East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) in 2010, followed by an MSc from Fudan University in 2013. After working in industry for several years, he joined Prof. Guillaume De Bo’s group for a PhD at the University of Manchester, focusing on the investigation of mechanically responsive materials using rotaxane actuator. After completion of his PhD in 2024, Dr. Chen continued his work as a postdoctoral researcher in the same group for an additional 2.5 years. In February 2026, he started his independent academic career at Soochow University, exploring advanced mechanically responsive materials.
ACS Global Outstanding Mentor
Professor Guillaume De Bo
University of Manchester
Guillaume De Bo was born and raised in Brussels, Belgium. He graduated from the University of Louvain, Belgium (MSc, 2004, and PhD, 2009, with Prof. István Markó), where he also held his first postdoctoral appointment in the group of Profs J. F. Gohy and C. A. Fustin. He then moved to the United Kingdom to join the group of Prof. David A. Leigh (2011-2015), first in Edinburgh then in Manchester. Prof. De Bo started his independent career at the University of Manchester under the impulse of a Royal Society University Research Fellowship (2016-2023). He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2021 and Professor in 2022. His work aims at controlling the reactivity of molecules under tension for application in synthetic chemistry, materials, and biology.
ACS Global Outstanding Graduate Student
Dr. David Kitto
University of Michigan
David Kitto is currently conducting postdoctoral research as part of the ReCell advanced battery recycling center at Argonne National Laboratory with Dr. Chris Arges. He received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 2024 under the supervision of Professor Jovan Kamcev. Dr. Kitto earned bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and chemistry from the University of Minnesota in 2019. His research has been previously recognized with awards such as the North American Membrane Society Student Fellowship (2024) and the Eastman Chemical Student Award in Applied Polymer Science (2025).
ACS Global Outstanding Mentor
Professor Jovan Kamcev
University of Michigan
Jovan Kamcev is an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Macromolecular Science & Engineering at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the University in Fall 2019, he completed his postdoctoral training in chemistry at University of California, Berkeley, under the guidance of Prof. Jeffrey Long. He earned his PhD in Chemical Engineering in 2016 from The University of Texas at Austin under the guidance of Profs. Benny Freeman and Donald Paul. His research group focuses on developing structure/property relationships to guide the design of next-generation polymeric membranes for applications including water treatment, critical materials recovery, and energy generation/ storage. Prof. Kamcev’s group is particularly interested in the fundamentals of small molecule transport in polymeric materials and understanding the relationship between polymer structure and properties. He has been recognized with several awards including the DOE Early Career Award, NSF CAREER award, NAMS Young Membrane Scientist Award, AIChE’s 35 Under 35 Award, ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship, and ACS PMSE Early Investigator Award.
PMSE is actively committed to cultivating a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and respectful community of polymer scientists and engineers. We welcome continued and new engagement from our membership in helping us to strengthen our policies and take appropriate actions to meet this goal.