Three Chemistry Faculty Receive ACS National Awards
Professors Stephen L. Buchwald, Jeremiah A. Johnson, and Timothy M. Swager have been named recipients of awards given by the American Chemical Society for 2019.
National Awards for 2019
Three members of the MIT Department of Chemistry have been selected by the American Chemical Society to receive National Awards for 2019.
Professor Stephen L. Buchwald, the Camille Dreyfus Professor of Chemistry, has been named the recipient of the Roger Adams Award in Organic Chemistry, sponsored by Organic Reactions Inc. and Organic Syntheses Inc. Buchwald was chosen for this award in recognition of “breakthroughs in catalysis and ligand design that have had a profound impact on the synthesis of medicines, novel materials, agricultural agents, and natural products.”
“I can think of no other living organic chemist that more strongly embodies the spirit of improving humanity through chemistry than Professor Stephen Buchwald,” said Professor Phil S. Baran of the Scripps Research Institute. “It is very difficult to overestimate the scope and impact of his catalytic methodologies to the field of organic synthesis and to society as a whole.”
Professor Timothy M. Swager, the John D. MacArthur Professor of Chemistry, has been named the recipient of the ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry, sponsored by ExxonMobil Chemical. Swager’s award was given in recognition of “The design, synthesis, and study of polymers with innovative molecular designs to create materials with superior sensory, electronic, optoelectronic, and mechanical properties.”
“All I care about is to leave an enduring contribution to science that will guide others to greater success than I have enjoyed,” said Swager. “In terms of a career and life goals, although I am thrilled by this award, success should not only be about accolades and citations. As an extremely privileged person (professor), I seek to give more than I take and contribute to leaving the world a little better place than I found it.”
“Tim is one of the most creative scientists working in the field of polymer chemistry and is a leader of our field,” said Professor Virgil Percec of the University of Pennsylvania. “He is one of the very few members of our community who has taken polymer chemistry from fundamental development to commercial products that impact our daily life and create a safer society.”
In addition, Professor Jeremiah A. Johnson, Associate Professor of Chemistry, was named the recipient of an Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, sponsored by the Arthur C. Cope Fund.
With the exception of the Arthur C. Cope Scholars, recipients will be honored at the awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in conjunction with the 257th ACS National Meeting in Orlando.
