Purpose

The Henkel Award for Outstanding Graduate Research in Polymer Science and Engineering is given to recognize a graduate student or recent graduate who has completed an outstanding Ph.D. thesis in polymeric research.

Nature

The award consists of a plaque, $2,000 honorarium, and travel support to attend the Fall ACS National Meeting in the year of the award. The award winner is invited to participate in a half-day symposium co-organized by the primary nominator and Prof. Mahesh K. Mahanthappa (maheshkm@umn.edu). In addition, the award will be presented at the joint POLY/PMSE awards presentation, typically on Wednesday evening.

History

The award was first awarded in 1991 and is operated under the Polymer Education Committee (POLYED), sponsored by the Polymer Chemistry Division and Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division. The award has been previously sponsored by Unilever (1991-2003), National Starch (2006-2008) and AzkoNobel (2008-2013). It has since been sponsored by Henkel.

Eligibility

A nominee must be a member or affiliate of the POLY or PMSE division of ACS and must currently be a PhD candidate or have earned their PhD during the three years prior to January 1 of the award year. Nominees are judged on the basis of their contribution to the thesis research, the quality and level of innovation demonstrated, and the impact of their research on the science and technology of synthetic polymers or biopolymers. Preference will be given to nominees who have not already been recognized by two or more ACS Awards with associated honorary symposia.

Nominations

Award package submission deadline is 25 January of each calendar year

Nominators must be a member or affiliate of the POLY or PMSE division and must be the nominee’s thesis supervisor or someone intimately familiar with the nominee’s work. A complete nomination package comprises:

• Nominee’s Curriculum Vita (CV) including Education & Training, Awards & Honors, list of Publications, list of Conference Presentations, Professional Activities & Affiliations
• Synopsis of nominee’s graduate work: 2 pages maximum
• Nomination letter from the thesis advisor: 3 pages maximum
• Up to two (2) letters supporting the nomination: 2 pages maximum per letter
• Up to three (3) representative 1^st author publications from the nominee’s graduate work.

Nominees are judged on the basis of their contribution to the thesis research, the quality and level of innovation demonstrated, and the impact of their research on the science and technology of synthetic polymers or biopolymers. Preference will be given to nominees who have not already been recognized by two or more ACS Awards with associated honorary symposia.

Complete nomination packages collated into a single PDF file containing the above items in the specified order should be sent by email to Prof. Jessica Kramer at Prof. Jessica Kramer (jessica.kramer@utah.edu). The title of the email should be “(Year) Henkel Graduate Award” where (Year) is the award year (2022).

About the Sponsor

Henkel values highly the development of outstanding scientists in the field of polymer science and engineering. Progress in the field is vital for the future development of high performance materials that will enhance current technologies and enable future ones. Thus, Henkel is proud to sponsor this award to demonstrate their commitment recognizing outstanding young scientists.

2021 Award Winner: Dr. Austin M. Evans

Advised by: Prof. William R. Dichtel, Northwestern University

Austin M. Evans received his Ph.D. in Chemistry as a NSF Graduate Research Fellow at Northwestern University with Prof. William R. Dichtel in 2020. During his graduate studies, he developed an innovative colloidal synthesis approach to 2D covalent organic framework polymers, which enabled detailed studies of their nucleation, growth, and error correction modes toward large, defect-free macromolecular sheets with tailored functionalities. The latter part of his thesis probed aspects of the emergent optical, electronic, and magnetic properties of these materials. Currently, Austin is exploring the interface of chemistry and physics as a postdoctoral research scientist working with Professors Latha Venkataraman and Colin Nuckolls at Columbia University. Austin’s research accomplishments have been recognized with numerous awards including the MOF2020 Early Career Award, an International Institute of Nanotechnology (IIN) Ryan Fellowship, and a Marcus L. Urann Graduate Research Fellowship. Austin is a co-chair for the 2021 Nanoporous Materials Gordon Research Seminar, which focuses on order and disorder in functional porous materials. His passion for broadening participation in chemical science research is evident from Austin’s multi-year involvement in the high school student-oriented Mentorship Opportunities for Research Engagement program at Northwestern University (MORE@NU).

The 2021 Henkel Award for Outstanding Graduate Research in Polymer Science & Engineering will be presented during a symposium in honor of Dr. Evans at the American Chemical Society National Meeting in Atlanta, CA August 22–26, 2021 in the ACS Division of Polymer Chemistry. Over the last 30 years, this award has been jointly administered through the ACS Divisions of Polymer Chemistry (POLY) and Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering (PMSE), with generous financial support from the Henkel Corporation.