ACS Global Outstanding Student and Mentor Awards in Polymer Science and Engineering
The ACS Global Outstanding Student and Mentor Awards in Polymer Science and Engineering recognizes the latest knowledge of polymer research of students and their mentors, one from United States and one from anywhere in the world.
Nominations remained open until January 31, 2025 for the 2025 Award. Please see the flyer for more information.
2025 Award Winners
The purpose of the ACS Global Outstanding Graduate Student and Mentor Award is to disseminate globally the latest knowledge of polymer research and to recognize at the ACS National Meeting not just two winning students, one from the USA and one from anywhere in the world, but also their mentors. Sponsored by Chemical Marketing & Economics, Inc. (CME), the awards, which are co-organized by CME and the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Division of the American Chemical Society, recognize 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. Maggie Horst
Stanford University
Dr. Maggie Horst is a postdoctoral fellow exploring the design and reactivity of functional proteins at the University of California San Francisco with Prof. William DeGrado. Dr. Horst grew up in North Carolina and received a B.S. in Chemistry from Duke University in 2018 after researching with Profs. Katherine Franz and Stephen Craig. In 2024, Maggie earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University under the mentorship of Prof. Yan Xia. Maggie’s doctoral work advanced understanding of force-driven reactions in polymers using synthesis, characterization, and computation. This research led to the development of design principles for new mechanophores, the discovery of complex and low force reactivity in fused cyclobutanes, and the identification of molecular features that induce non-statistical dynamic effects in multistep mechanochemical reactions. Maggie has received numerous awards, including the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship and the ACS PMSE Centennial Future Leaders’ Award.
ACS Global Outstanding Mentor
Professor Yan Xia
Stanford University
Yan Xia received his BS degree in chemistry from Peking University, MSc from McMaster University, and PhD from Caltech. Following his PhD stint, he worked at Dow Chemical as a senior chemist and then MIT as a postdoc. He joined the chemistry department at Stanford University in 2013 and is now an Associate Professor. His research group is interested in leveraging unusual molecular structures and reactivities in polymer designs to probe fundamental questions and tackle technological challenges.
ACS Global Outstanding Graduate Student
Dr. Hyun Suk Wang
ETH Zurich
Hyun Suk Wang received his B.Eng and M.Eng in Chemical Engineering from Korea University. He then obtained his PhD at ETH Zurich under the supervision of Prof. Athina Anastasaki as a Swiss Government Excellence Scholar. During his PhD, Hyun Suk’s research revolved around the chemical recycling of polymers synthesized by controlled and free radical polymerization. In 2024, he was awarded the Swiss Chemical Society MatChem PhD Student Award for the best thesis in materials chemistry.
ACS Global Outstanding Mentor
Professor Athina Anastasaki
ETH Zurich
Athina Anastasaki was born and raised in Athens, Greece and obtained her B.S. in Chemistry at the University of Athens. She then commenced her PhD studies at the University of Warwick under the supervision of Prof. Dave Haddleton. In early 2015, she accepted a Monash-Warwick research fellow position between the Pharmaceutical department at Monash University and the University of Warwick, jointly supervised by Professor Thomas Davis and Professor Dave Haddleton. She then received an Elings Fellowship, followed by a Global Marie Curie Fellowship, to conduct research alongside Professor Craig Hawker at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She started her independent career as an Assistant Professor at ETH Zurich in 2019 and was promoted to Associate Professor earlier this year. She is the Head of the Laboratory of Sustainable Polymers, and her group focuses on modern polymer chemistry and recycling methodologies.
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.
Sponsored By
Award Details
Each of the two student award winners will receive a $7,500 cash prize and a commemorative plaque to be presented at the CME Symposium, and when possible in the PMSE Division Awards Reception, in the selected ACS National Meeting of the Award year.
History
The award was originally established in 2019 and is funded by Chemical Marketing & Economics, Inc. (CME).
Nominations
Nominees should have contributed significant advances to polymer science and engineering research. Nomination packages should follow package submission guidelines.
Past Recipients
Nominations and Award Process
Purpose
The ACS Global Outstanding Student and Mentor Awards in Polymer Science and Engineering recognizes the latest knowledge of polymer research of students and their mentors, one from United States and one from anywhere in the world.
Rules of Eligibility
Nominees should be recent graduates who have completed an outstanding thesis in polymer research accepted by a university during the three-year period prior to January 1 of the award year.
Present members of the Board of Directors of CME and PMSE, or the award selection committee members, and their respective staff and contractors, are ineligible for this award.
Nominations Package
The deadline is February 15 for nomination packages. The students and mentors to be recognized must have made significant contributions to polymer science and engineering. There are no fees to make a nomination.
Nominations must be made by the university thesis supervisor or by others familiar with the nominee’s work. Nominating documents must be in English and include the nominee’s biography (full CV), a synopsis of the work, a letter of recommendation from the thesis advisor, up to two supporting documents (e.g. additional letters of recommendation from collaborators or thesis-relevant publications), and a passport valid for two years and eligibility for USA entry visa. Nominees will be judged by a selection committee for the quality and the impact of the research. A PDF file of the nomination package should be sent via Prof. LaShanda Korley and Prof. Mike Hore (acsglobalaward@pmsedivision.org) with the title “GOSM Award Nomination package for (Nominee Name)”. For more information, please contact Prof. LaShanda Korley (full contact info) or Prof. Mike Hore (full contact info).
Award Selection Process
The selected winners will be selected by a committee as appointed by the nomination chair. The committee is managed by PMSE for each award year and consists of members in good standing withe PMSE Division.
Award Announcement and Nature
Awardees will be notified before the deadline for submission of the abstracts for the fall ACS meeting.
Each of the two student award winners will receive a $7,500 cash prize and a commemorative plaque to be presented at the CME Symposium. Presentations, when possible, will occur in the PMSE Division Awards Reception in the selected ACS National Meeting of the Award year. The mentor of the student will receive a plaque and be recognized in the promotional materials. The Award does not cover any expenses for the student or mentor who attend the meeting. An eligible mentor is the thesis advisor, the department chair, the university president, or an officer of the country’s chemical society.
About CME
Chemical Marketing & Economics, Inc. (CME) was established in 1954 by an industry steering committee to address the challenges of humanity.
We at CME are a forward-looking nonprofit dedicated to accelerating diverse STEM talent and leadership for sustainable innovation in energy, materials and life sciences. The group focus over time has expanded from technology and business to investments and policy in order to develop a holistic approach to advancing the transformational power of chemistry, the central science, together with other fields of knowledge in the sciences and the arts for the benefit of humanity.
Full List of Award Winners
2020 – Present
2024
Dr. Pamela Cai
Professor Andrew Spakowitz
Stanford University
Dr. Laura Rijns
Professor Patricia Dankers
University of Eindhoven
2023
Dr. Alexandra Easley
Professor Jodie Lutkenhaus
Texas A&M University
Dr. Timur Ashirov
Professor Ali Coskun
University of Fribourg
2022
Dr. Vivian Feig
Professor Zhenan Bao
Stanford University
Dr. Spyridon Varlas
Professor Rachel O’Reilly
University of Birmingham, U.K.
2021
Austin Evans
Professor William Ditchel (Advisor)
Northwestern University
Qi Zhang
Professor He Tian (Advisor, Graduate)
East China University of Science and Technology
Professor Ben Feringa (Advisor, Post Graduate)
University of Groningen
2019
2019
Dr. Seunghyun Sim
Prof. Takuzo Aida (Advisor)
University of Tokyo
Bas van Genabeek
Prof. E.W. (Bert) Meijer (Advisor)
Eindhoven University of Technology