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 February 15th, 2026 for the 2026 Award.
2026 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. 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.
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. Helen Tran (acsglobalaward@pmsedivision.org) with the title “GOSM Award Nomination package for (Nominee Name)”. For more information, please contact Prof. Helen Tran (tran@utoronto.ca)”
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
2025
Dr. Maggie Horst
Stanford University
Professor Yan Xia
Stanford University
Dr. Hyun Suk Wang
ETH Zurich
Professor Athina Anastasaki
ETH Zurich
https://pmsedivision.org/2025/04/2025-acs-global-award/
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