Awards and Honors

College of Chemistry awards and honors featured in the news.

College of Chemistry faculty and alums among ACS 2019 National Award winners

October 1, 2018

ACS logo

UC Berkeley's College of Chemistry was well represented among the winners of this year's ACS National Awards.

John Hartwig awarded 2018 Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry

September 27, 2018

image: John Hartwig and Stephen BuchwaldJohn Hartwig and Stephen Buchwald

Elsevier and the Board of Executive Editors of Elsevier’s Tetrahedron journal series have announced that the 2018 Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry has been awarded to Professors Stephen L....

Francis and Maimone win 2019 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Awards

September 19, 2018

ACS LogoProfessor Matt Francis and associate professor Tom Maimone have been named 2019 Arthur C. Cope Scholars by the American Chemical Society. Established in 1984, these awards recognize excellence in organic chemistry.

Professors Omar Yaghi and Michael O’Keeffe receive award from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

September 19, 2018

Array of Lithium Ion batteries stacked side by side.The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the 2019 Gregori Aminoff Prize in Crystallography to Michael O’Keeffe, Arizona State University, and Omar M. Yaghi, University of California, “for their fundamental contributions to the development of reticular chemistry”.

Jennifer Doudna to receive the 2018 Pearl Meister Greengard Prize

September 14, 2018

Jennifer DoudnaThe Rockefeller University has announced that Jennifer Doudna will receive this year's Pearl Meister Greengard Prize, a major international accolade honoring outstanding women scientists.

Dr. William Lester Jr selected as Top Chemist Educator of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP)

September 10, 2018

William LesterDr. William Alexander Lester, Jr, Chemist & Educator for University of California, Berkeley was selected as Top Chemist Educator of the Year for 2018 by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP) for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the field.

While inclusion with the International Association of Top Professionals is an honor in itself, only a...

Jennifer Doudna honored at Kavli Prize ceremonies in Norway

September 4, 2018


Virginijus Šikšnys, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle CharpentierCRISPR-Cas9 inventor Jennifer Doudna, a UC Berkeley professor of chemistry and of molecular and cell biology, was awarded the 2018 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience today in Norway during a gala ceremony hosted by King Harald V. She shared the prestigious honor with her colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier, now at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, Germany, and another early CRISPR researcher, Virginijus Šikšnys of Vilnius University in Lithuania.

UC Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry recipient of an award for novel green preservatives

August 6, 2018

Green suppliesThe Green Chemistry & Commerce Council (GC3) and InnoCentive have announced the Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry as one of seven winners in the global GC3 Challenge: Developing New Preservatives for Personal Care & Household Products. Launched in April 2017, the challenge aims to identify and support innovators developing preservative technologies with improved environmental,...

Professor Richard Saykally receives Helmholtz International Fellow award

August 7, 2018


Richmond Sarpong research teamClass of 1932 Endowed Professor of Chemistry, Richard Saykally, has been awarded a 2018 Helmholtz International Fellow Award for his research using X-ray spectroscopy to study the detailed chemistry of the global carbon cycle, characterizing the hydration structure and intermolecular interactions in aqueous CO2, carbonic acid, carbonate, bicarbonate, and the calcium and magnesium salts that ultimately form limestone.

Omar Yaghi wins 2018 Eni Energy Transition Award

July 23, 2018


Omar YaghiEni has announced the winners of the 11th edition of the Eni Award. Omar Yaghi has received this year's Energy Transition Award. Over the years, the award, established in 2007, has become an international point of reference for research in the energy and environmental sectors. The Eni Award aims to reflect the importance of scientific research and innovation, promoting a better use of energy sources and encouraging a new generation of researchers.