The Chemistry of Materials Lectureship and Best Paper Award recognizes an author or authors of an article published in Chemistry of Materials in the two years preceding the nomination due date. The winner of the 2026 award is Professor Austin M. Evans of the University of Florida. An award symposium in Professor Evans’ honor will be held at the Spring 2027 ACS National Meeting in New Orleans.
The Lectureship and Best Paper Award underlines the fact that research is a team endeavor. Its main goal is to emphasize the importance of, and celebrate the contributions of, co-authors. Co-authors on the award-winning paper, Latently Curable Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polymers with Dimensional Stability, are Joshua D. Marquez, Gunzaya Otgonjargal, Kevin A. Stewart, A. M. Mahmudul Hasan, Graham C. Gilchrist, and Brent S. Sumerlin. The ACS Axial award announcement and an interview with Professor Evans can be found here.
The 2026 award recognizes work on latently curable ultra-high molecular weight styrenic polymers that resist deformation during thermal curing, resolving the long-standing tradeoff between processability and shape retention in thermosets. By pairing a latent crosslinker with entanglement networks so dense they suppress reptation, the team produced single-component materials that hold intricate geometries through curing with no mold required. This approach points toward advanced manufacturing applications, where high-resolution shape fidelity and structural performance under thermal stress are both essential. This work could open new material possibilities in aerospace composites, electronic materials manufacturing, and high-performance thermosets.
PROFESSOR AUSTIN EVANS
University of Florida
Austin M. Evans is an Assistant Professor at the University of Florida, where he holds appointments in Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering. Prior to joining the University of Florida, Austin studied at Columbia University as a Postdoctoral Schmidt Science Fellow. Before his postdoctoral training, Austin completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Northwestern University as an NSF Graduate Research Fellow and an International Institute for Nanotechnology Ryan Fellow. For his contributions to many areas of chemistry, engineering, and physics Austin has been recognized with numerous awards, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, ACS Fresenius Award, NSF CAREER Award, 3M Non-Tenured Faculty Award, ACS POLY Henkel Award, MOF2020 Early Career Award, Foresight Institute Vision Fellowship for Molecular Electronics, and the IUPAC-Solvay International Award for Young Chemists. Outside of the laboratory, Austin enjoys taking his young son to explore the Florida wilderness and competing in triathlons.