PMSE Fellows
A PMSE Fellowship honors a small percentage of PMSE members who have made significant contributions to the science and engineering of polymeric materials.
2023 PMSE Fellows
The American Chemical Society Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) have selected a new class of PMSE Fellows for 2023. The following distinguished PMSE members have been chosen:
Elizabeth Cosgriff-Hernandez, Thomas Epps III, Chuanbin Mao, and Michael Rubinstein
Professor Elizabeth M. Cosgriff-Hernández
University of Texas at Austin

Citation: “For outstanding contributions to polymeric biomaterial and tissue engineering research in the areas of biodegradation characterization, biomaterial development, and advanced manufacturing of polymeric scaffolds.”
Elizabeth Cosgriff-Hernandez, Ph.D. is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and holder of the Cullen Trust for Higher Education Endowed Professorship in Engineering. Her laboratory specializes in the development of polymeric biomaterials to improve clinical outcomes of medical devices and regeneration strategies. She also serves on the scientific advisory board of ECM Biosurgery and Rhythio Medical as well as a consultant to several companies on biostability evaluation of medical devices. Dr. Cosgriff-Hernandez is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Fellow of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. She has previously served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part B and chair of the NIH study section on Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering.
Professor Thomas H. Epps III
University of Delaware

Citation: “For outstanding contributions toward sustainable polymers from biomass and plastics waste, and nanomaterials for ion-conduction, drug delivery, and templating applications.”
Thomas is the Allan & Myra Ferguson Distinguished Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Delaware (UD) with a joint appointment in Materials Science & Engineering. He is Director of the Center for Research in Soft matter & Polymers (CRiSP), Director of the new NSF MRSEC at UD called CHARM (Center for Hybrid, Active, and Responsive Materials) and Deputy Director of the new DOE EFRC at UD called CPI (Center for Plastics Innovation). His research interests include nanostructured assemblies for targeted drug delivery and gene therapy, polymeric materials for bio-separation and ion-conduction membranes, nanostructured soft materials from biobased and plastics waste feedstocks, and polymer films for nanotemplating. He was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2017, Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) in 2018, American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 2021, Polymers Division of the American Chemical Society in 2021, the American Chemical Society in 2021, and the National Academy of Inventors in 2022. Thomas is also co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Lignolix, Inc. – a start-up focused on valorization of biomass waste.
Professor Chuanbin Mao
University of Oklahoma

Citation: “For seminal contributions to developing phages and other biopolymers into biomaterials, nanobiotechnology, nanomedicine, and regenerative medicine.”
Dr. Chuanbin Mao received both bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. at Northeastern University (China). He completed postdoctoral studies at Tsinghua University and the University of Texas at Austin. He took a tenure-track assistant professor position at the University of Oklahoma (OU) in 2005. He was early tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2010 and then early promoted to full professor in 2011. His research is focused on the biomedical and bionanotechnological applications of phages and other biopolymers. The phages are human-compatible bacteria-specific viruses assembled from proteins and DNA. His group genetically engineered the phages for seeking cancer/stem cell-targeting and tumor-homing peptides, detecting cancer biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, inducing stem cell differentiation into functional cells, promoting stem cell-based tissue regeneration and gene transfer, and developing nano-theranostic agents and drug delivery carriers for targeted cancer imaging and therapy. He is a fellow of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES), American Chemical Society (ACS), American Academy of Microbiology (AAM), American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), American Institute for Medical & Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). He has won multiple awards, such as the CAREER Award from National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Presidential Professorship for outstanding performance in both research and teaching from OU.
Professor Michael Rubinstein
Duke University

Citation: “For leadership in theoretical modeling of polymeric liquids and networks, including association and entanglement effects.”
Michael Rubinstein received B.S. from Caltech in 1979 and Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University in 1983. After two years as a post-doc at AT&T Bell Laboratories, he joined Research Laboratories of Eastman Kodak Company where he worked for 10 years. In 1995 Michael Rubinstein started his academic career at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in 2018 he moved to Duke University where he is currently Aleksander S. Vesic Distinguished Professor of Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, and Chemistry. In 2016 Rubinstein became a Distinguished Professor at Hokkaido University. In 2003 he published a textbook “Polymer Physics” with R. H. Colby. In 2010 he received the Polymer Physics Prize of the American Physical Society. In 2018 he received the Bingham Medal of the Society of Rheology and in 2019 the Soft Matter and Biophysical Chemistry Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry. Rubinstein is currently serving as the Chair of the IUPAP Working Group on Soft Matter.
Award Details
Selected PMSE Fellows are honored with a plaque at the PMSE Division Awards Ceremony and Reception at the Spring National ACS Meeting. PMSE Fellows are authorized by the division to use the letters FPMSE (Fellow of the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division) as a post-nominal title in connection with their professional activities.
History
The PMSE Fellow Program was started in 2000 to honor PMSE Members for scientific and technological contributions to polymer material science and engineering. A list of current PMSE Fellow are found below.
Nominations
Nomination packages should follow package submission guidelines detailed below and are due by October 15 for the next calendar year nominee review.
Past Classes
- 2020s (Twenty First to Present Class)
- 2010s (Eleventh to Twentieth Class)
- 2000s (First to Tenth Class)
- ACS Fellows
Nominations and Award Process
Purpose
The PMSE Fellowship was established to honor a small percentage of PMSE members who have made significant contributions to the science and engineering of polymeric materials.
Rules of Eligibility
A PMSE member must have a good standing for at least the previous five (5) years to the nomination. An individual may be nominated by any PMSE member(s).
Nomination packages submitted by October 15 of each calendar year are in consideration in the following year selection process. Nomination packages are valid for three selection years.
Nominations Process
A nomination should be submitted as a single pdf file, consisting of five key sections
- A nomination letter from the PMSE member. This letter must articulate clearly the basis for the fellow nomination, including
- A brief introduction
- The primary contributions and lay-language explanation of the significance and impact of the research.
- Brief summary of key papers, patents, prior awards and honors may be recognized to support the nomination.
- Contributions to a second or third area of research or service element.
- A summary statement that includes how the nominee stands amongst their peers is recommended.
- A nomination letter must include a 20-word or less citation that summarizes the primary achievements that the nomination is based upon. (For examples, please see the current list of PMSE Fellows below.)
- A short date CV of the nominee with only essential content that supports the nomination and not exceeding 10 pages.
- At least two letters of support, but no more than three, in addition to the nomination letter signed and on letterhead from those that are familiar with the nominee’s work and can substantiate the accomplishment. Letters are limited to 3 pages in length.
- If available, supporting information (e.g. news stories, testimonials by others especially for proprietary work) maybe included, but not to exceed 1 page.
The nominator(s) should send the single pdf to the PMSE Fellow Selection Committee, available at pmsefellows@pmsedivision.org. Current Selection Committee members are Shu Yang (University of Pennsylvania), Gustavo Carri (ExxonMobil), and Vivek Prabhu (NIST).
Award Selection
Nomination packages are reviewed by a group of ad hoc judges and the PMSE Fellow Selection Committee.
Selection is based on the following primary criteria categories: Recognition for leadership in specific scientific research or technological contributions to, or significant advancement of Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering, or Applied Polymer Science. Selection is also based on substantial service to advance the field of Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering for worthy candidates.
The evaluation process will appraise the contents in each of the above categories, and the nominations should clearly provide evidence of significant accomplishment in activities supporting the community of Polymer Materials Science and Engineering, or Applied Polymer Science.
Examples of the kind of technical accomplishments that might contribute to the PMSE fellow selection in each category include:
- Development of a novel polymer characterization method
- Discovery of a novel polymerization catalyst
- Discovery of a new fundamental concept or principle in Polymer Science or Engineering
- Leadership in, or substantial contribution to, the commercialization or manufacturing of polymeric materials or processes
- (Co)inventorship of a key patent or (co)authorship of a key paper in Polymeric Materials Science and Engineering
These primary research achievements may lead to measurable output in the form of peer reviewed publications and/or patents, but also improvements in the public understanding of polymer science and engineering principles at their university, industry, government laboratory, and community. Service accomplishments include:
- The establishment of, or strong contribution to, polymer education or public awareness initiatives
- Service to the PMSE Division
Award Announcement and Nature
Selected PMSE Fellows are honored with a plaque at the PMSE Division Awards Ceremony and Reception at the Spring National ACS Meeting. PMSE Fellows are authorized by the division to use the letters FPMSE (Fellow of the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering Division) as a post-nominal title in connection with their professional activities.
PMSE Fellow Classes
2020 – Present
Inducted as the Twenty First Class of PMSE Fellows at the Spring 2022 ACS Meeting.
- Ralph Colby
- Andrew P. Dove
- Melissa Grunlan
- LaShanda Korley
- Richard Spontak
- Marcus Weck
Inducted as the Twenty First Class of PMSE Fellows at the Spring 2021 ACS Meeting.
- Gregory Beaucage
- Cato T. Laurencin
- Christina U. Thomas
- Bryan D. Vogt
Inducted as the Twentieth Class of PMSE Fellows at the Philadelphia ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening, March 25th, 2020.
- Vivek Prabhu
- Shanti Swarup
- Tao Xie
- Ting Xu
2010 – 2019
Inducted as the Nineteenth Class of PMSE Fellows at the Orlando ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening, April 3, 2019.
- Zhiqun Lin
- Nicholas Peppas
- Jeffrey Pyun
- Dean Webster
Inducted as the Eighteenth Class of PMSE Fellows at the New Orleans ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening, March 21, 2018.
- Brian Benicewicz
- Christopher Stafford
- A. Jay Dias
- Shu Yang
Inducted as the Seventeenth Class of PMSE Fellows at the San Francisco ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening, April 5, 2017.
- Matthew Becker
- Heather Maynard
- Marek Urban
Inducted as the Sixteenth Class of PMSE Fellows at the San Diego ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening, March 16 2016.
- Antonio Facchetti
- Jung-Il Jin
- Shiro Kobayashi
- Karen I. Winey
Inducted as the Fifteenth Class of PMSE Fellows at the Denver ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening, March 25 2015.
- Hatsuo Ishida
- Qinghuang Lin
- Michael Mackay
- Greg Rutledge
- Uli Wiesner
Inducted as the Fourteenth Class of PMSE Fellows at the Dallas ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening April 14, 2014.
- Emmanuel Giannelis
- Jay F. Kunzler
- David Martin
- Edwin L. “Ned” Thomas
Inducted as the Thirteenth Class of PMSE Fellows at the New Orleans ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening April 10, 2013.
- Timothy J. Bunning
- Todd Emrick
- Andy Lovinger
- Darrin Pochan
- John Reynolds
- Michael Rubner
- Kenneth J. Shea
- James Wang
Inducted as the Twelfth class of PMSE Fellows at the San Diego ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception.
- Stephen Z. D. Cheng
- Lloyd Robeson
- Jimmy Mays
- Abhimanyu O. Patil
Inducted as the Eleventh class of PMSE Fellows at the Anaheim ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening, March 30, 2011.
- Rigoberto Advincula
- Zhenan Bao
- Patrick E. Cassidy
- Joseph M. DeSimone
- Douglas L. Gin
- Charles C. Han
- Thomas P. Russell
- Richard A. Vaia
Inducted as the Tenth class of PMSE Fellows at the San Francisco ACS Meeting during the joint PMSE/POLY Awards Reception on Wednesday evening, March 24, 2010.
- Benny D. Freeman
- Jeffrey S. Moore
- Judy S. Riffle
Inducted as the Ninth class of PMSE Fellows during the PMSE Awards Luncheon at the Salt Lake ACS Meeting on Monday, March 23, 2009.
- Craig Hawker
- Alex K-Y. Jen
- Lon J. Mathias
- Christopher K. Ober
- Garth Wilkes
Inducted as Eighth class of PMSE Fellows during the PMSE/POLY Awards Reception at the Chicago ACS National Meeting on Monday, March 26, 2007.
- James Crivello
- Mohamed El-Aasser
- James Stoffer
- Wen-Li Wu
Inducted as the Seventh class of PMSE Fellows during the Awards Lunch at the Atlanta ACS National Meeting on Monday, March 27th, 2006.
- Anne Hiltner
- Robert Miller
- Donald Plazek
- Richard Stein
- Robert Weiss
Inducted as theSixth class of PMSE Fellowsduring the PMSE Awards Lunch at the San Diego ACS Meeting on Monday, March 14th, 2005.
- Eric Amis
- David Lohse
Inducted as the Fifth class of PMSE Fellows during the PMSE Awards Lunch at the Anaheim ACS Meeting on Monday, March 29th, 2004.
- Nikos Hadjichristidis
- Bill MacKnight
- Don Schulz
Inducted as the Fourth class of PMSE Fellows during the PMSE Awards Lunch at the New Orleans ACS Meeting on Monday, March 24th, 2003.
- Guy C. Berry
- Frank E. Karasz
- Moshe Narkis
- Dennis G. Peiffer
- Virgil Percec
- Kenneth B. Wagener
Inducted as the Third class of PMSE Fellows during the PMSE Awards Lunch at the Orlando ACS Meeting on Monday, April 8, 2002.
- Bill Culbertson
- Hiroshi Ito
- Michael Jaffe
- James McGrath
- Elsa Reichmanis
- Leslie Sperling
- S. Richard Turner
- Paul L. Valint
- Mitchell A. Winnik
Inducted as the Second class of PMSE Fellows at the PMSE Awards Lunch at the San Diego ACS Meeting on Monday, April 2, 2001.
- Eric Baer
- James Economy
- Frank N. Jones
- Lieng-Huang Lee
- Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
- George R. Pilcher
- Duane B. Priddy
- Albert F. Yee
Inducted as the Inaugural Class of PMSE Fellows at the Washington DC ACS Meeting in August 2000 were 16 members:
- Dave Bauer
- Ray Dickie
- John Gillham
- Ted Provder
- Murrae Bowden
- Lew Fetters
- Jack Koenig
- Larry Thompson
- Charles Carraher
- Jean Fréchet
- Jim Mark
- Dave Tirrell
- Clara Craver
- John Gardon
- Don Paul
- Grant Willson
ACS Fellows
A subset of PMSE members are also ACS Fellows, which was created by the ACS Board of Directors in December 2008 to recognize members of ACS for outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession, and the Society. More information on the ACS Fellows program can be found at ACS.org. A full list of ACS Fellows in PMSE can be found at the following link.
An alphabetical list of ACS and PMSE fellows is provided below. Members are denoted by the year of their ACS Fellowship.
- Rigoberto Advincula (2010)
- Eric Amis (2012)
- Paul Anderson (2009)
- Ronald Archer (2011)
- Eric Baer (2011)
- Jamil Baghdachi (2014)
- Neelakantan Balasubramanian (2017)
- Zhenan Bao (2011)
- Rodney Bartlett (2010)
- Jacqueline Barton (2014)
- Lawrence Barton (2012)
- Lisa Baugh (2016)
- Edwin Becker (2009)
- Matthew Becker (2020)
- Kathryn Beers (2014)
- Jerry Bell (2010)
- Robert Bergman (2011)
- K Berlin (2011)
- Pradip Bhowmik (2014)
- Frank Blum (2009)
- Arindam Bose (2009)
- Mary Boyd (2015)
- Cherlynlavaughn Bradley* (2012)
- Mitchell Bruce (2014)
- Samuel Bryan (2013)
- Janet Bryant (2011)
- Morris Bullock (2012)
- Timothy Bunning (2017)
- James Burke (2010)
- Cynthia Burrows (2010)
- Charles Campbell (2011)
- James Canary (2013)
- Guang Cao (2012)
- Charles Carraher (2010)
- Peggy Cebe (2015)
- Edwin A. Chandross (2009)
- Eun-Woo Chang (2010)
- James Chao (2013)
- Sally Chapman* (2012)
- Hongyu Chen (2018)
- Jingguang Chen (2013)
- N. Cheng (2009)
- Christine Chow (2015)
- Sue Clark (2010)
- Judith Cohen (2010)
- Terrence Collins (2013)
- Catherine Costello (2011)
- E. Bryan Couglin (2018)
- Arthur Coury (2011)
- Norman Craig (2010)
- Bryce Crawford* (2009)
- James V. Crivello (2011)
- Glenn Crosby (2009)
- Bill M. Culbertson (2012)
- Mark Dadmun (2015)
- Hai-Lung Dai (2010)
- William Daly (2010)
- John Dawson (2010)
- Joseph Desimone (2012)
- Anthony Dias (2015)
- Ray Dickie (2012)
- Michael Doyle (2009)
- James Economy (2012)
- Mostafa El-Sayed (2009)
- Todd Emrick (2014)
- Alan English (2010)
- Thomas Epps (2021)
- Barry Farmer (2013)
- Erik Fernandez (2011)
- Daniel Flynn (2013)
- Warren T. Ford (2010)
- Natalie Foster (2014)
- Jean Frechet (2010)
- Benny Freeman (2011)
- Alfred French (2010)
- Glenn Fuller* (2009)
- Mary Good (2009)
- Bernard Gordon, III (2012)
- Sergio Granados-Focil (2017)
- Harry Gray (2009)
- George Gross (2010)
- Robert Grubbs (2009)
- Jaime C. Grunlan (2023)
- Timothy Hanks (2021)
- Eva Harth (2021)
- Kathleen O’Leary Havelka (2010)
- Craig Hawker (2010)
- Janan Hayes (2012)
- Rigoberto Hernandez (2010)
- Thomas Higgins (2016)
- Herbert Hill (2011)
- K W Hipps (2010)
- Andrew Holder (2011)
- Derek Horton* (2011)
- Bob Howell (2011)
- Benjamin Hsiao (2011)
- Xuefei Huang (2013)
- Russell Hughes (2011)
- Leonard Vincent Interrante (2010)
- Michael Jaffe (2012)
- Johanna Jansen (2011)
- Malika Jeffries-EL (2018)
- Alex Jen (2011)
- Julie Jessop (2017)
- Russell Johnson (2010)
- Christopher Jones (2015)
- Loretta Jones (2014)
- Paul Jones (2010)
- Roger Jones (2012)
- Wayne Jones (2010)
- William Jones (2010)
- Kenneth Jordan (2009)
- Dimitris Katsoulis (2021)
- Howard Katz (2010)
- George Kauffman (2011)
- Joseph Paul Kennedy (2012)
- R Bruce King (2009)
- Michael Klein (2011)
- Stephen Koch (2014)
- LaShanda Korley (2023)
- Diane Krone (2010)
- Ramesh Kumar (2015)
- Richard Laine (2015)
- Joseph Lambert (2012)
- Clark Landis (2012)
- Christine Landry-Coltrain (2016)
- Thomas Lane (2011)
- Cato Laurencin (2014)
- Chao-Jun Li (2015)
- Eric K. Lin (2018)
- Qinghuang Lin (2014)
- Gang-Yu Liu (2010)
- Hung-Wen Liu (2014)
- Timothy Lodge (2010)
- David Lohse (2010)
- Timothy Long (2009)
- Joseph Mabry (2015)
- Chuanbin Mao (20211)
- David C. Martin (2015)
- Hedi Mattoussi (2011)
- Krzysztof Matyjaszewski (2010)
- Heather Maynard (2021)
- Jimmy Mays (2011)
- Laura McConnell (2014)
- Anne McCoy (2009)
- James E. McGrath (2009)
- Robert McMahon (2011)
- Gerald Meyer (2010)
- Robert Miller (2011)
- Terry Miller (2010)
- Nancy Mills (2011)
- James Moore (2011)
- Jeffrey Moore (2010)
- John Moore (2009)
- Robert B Moore (2013)
- Robert S Moore (2014)
- Sarah Morgan (2020)
- Christopher Ober (2009)
- William Oliver (2012)
- Michael Owen (2010)
- Thomas J. Pacansky (2010)
- Kathlyn Parker (2009)
- Donald Paul (2009)
- Eli M. Pearce (2009)
- Nicholas Peppas (2011)
- Kirk Peterson (2014)
- Lisa Peterson (2013)
- John Pochan (2012)
- Ned Porter (2013)
- Theodore Provder (2011)
- Seth C. Rasmussen (2021)
- Buddy Ratner (2011)
- Kenneth Raymond (2013)
- Richard Register (2012)
- Elsa Reichmanis (2009)
- Theresa M. Reineke (2023)
- Charles Reynolds (2010)
- Yorke Rhodes (2011)
- John Richard (2014)
- Ryan Richards (2014)
- Judy Riffle (2010)
- Sara Risch (2012)
- Robin Rogers (2009)
- Stuart Rowan (2018)
- Sherri Rukes (2020)
- Ann Beal Salamone (2009)
- Joseph C. Salamone (2010)
- Maria Santore (2010)
- Phillip Savage (2012)
- Daniel A. Savin (2018)
- Henry Schaefer (2009)
- Kirk Schanze (2011)
- David Schiraldi (2013)
- Diane Schmidt (2011)
- Kathleen Schulz (2009)
- Wallace Schulz (2011)
- Lawrence Scott (2012)
- Sadiq Shah (2014)
- John Sharkey (2011)
- John E. Sheats (2010)
- Myron Simon (2014)
- J Ernest Simpson (2012)
- James Skinner (2012)
- Dennis Smith (2010)
- Janet Smith (2014)
- Patrick Smith (2011)
- Thomas Smith (2009)
- Christopher Soles (2016)
- Chunshan Song (2010)
- James Spencer (2016)
- Leslie H. Sperling (2010)
- Christopher Stafford (2023)
- George Stanley (2011)
- E Strom (2009)
- Timothy Swager (2013)
- Sunny Tang (2011)
- John Texter (2015)
- Kimberly Thomas (2011)
- David Tirrell (2010)
- Vladimir Tsukruk (2014)
- Sam Turner (2009)
- Kathryn Uhrich (2014)
- Richard Vaia (2015)
- Kenneth Wagener (2011)
- Ann Walker (2011)
- Edward Walsh (2014)
- Paul Walter (2013)
- Dujin Wang (2018)
- Yong Wang (2010)
- Michael Ward (2011)
- Edel Wasserman (2012)
- Linette Watkins (2014)
- Dean Webster (2016)
- Paul Weiss (2010)
- Robert Weiss (2010)
- Christopher Welch (2010)
- Richard Williams (2012)
- Tracy Williamson (2016)
- Vickie Williamson (2015)
- Carlton Willson (2009)
- Richard Willson (2014)
- Angela Wilson (2010)
- Bobby Wilson (2011)
- George Wilson (2013)
- Marinda Wu (2015)
- Kenneth Wynne (2009)
- Younan Xia (2014)
- Elaine Yamaguchi (2010)
- Edward Yeung (2011)
- Jin Z. Zhang (2011)
- Bing Zhou (2012)
- Hong-cai Zhou (2016)
- Weichang Zhou (2013)