Awards and Honors

College of Chemistry awards and honors featured in the news.

Evan Miller awarded 2021 Donald S. Noyce Undergraduate Teaching Prize

April 20, 2021
UC Berkeley, College of Chemistry Press Release
The committee said of Prof. Miller, "Selections from the student evaluations combined with the student letters make a strong case for the effectiveness of Prof. Miller as a communicator and someone who really cares about his students achieving mastery of the material."

Omar Yaghi awarded the inaugural VinFuture Special Prize

January 24, 2022
VinFuture Prize Press Release

Omar Yaghi at the VinFuture award ceremony - Vietnam

The first Special Prize, dedicated to “Innovators with Outstanding Achievements in Emerging Fields”, is awarded to Professor Omar Yaghi (USA) for his work on discovering metal-organic frameworks. — Photo courtesy VinFuture Prize

The first VinFuture Special Prize for Innovators with Outstanding Achievements for Emerging Fields was awarded to...

Richmond Sarpong has been awarded the Inhoffen Medal

July 15, 2025
By Veronica Bartell | College of Chemistry
Richmond Sarpong has been recognized for his exceptional contributions as an organic chemist, particularly in the field of natural products synthesis and the development of chemical methods.

Ritankar Das: Chemistry as an economic powerhouse

May 2, 2024
By Veronica Bartell | College of Chemistry
At just 18 years old, he was the youngest person in over a hundred years to win the University Medal, and the first student from the College of Chemistry in 58 years to win the award.

Markita Landry's award-winning year: applying nanotechnology across disciplines

June 16, 2025
By Sarah C.P. Williams
The carbon nanotubes Landry has developed are exceptionally strong, chemically versatile, and capable of near-infrared fluorescence—making them invaluable in diverse scientific applications.

Omar Yaghi appointed as University Professor

June 17, 2025
By Veronica Bartell | College of Chemistry
The University of California Board of Regents formally approved the appointment of Professor Omar M. Yaghi as University Professor.

Omar Yaghi awarded honorary Doctor of Science by Princeton University

June 4, 2025
By Veronica Bartell | College of Chemistry
Princeton's honorary doctorate is one of the highest academic distinctions in the United States, granted only to individuals whose achievements reflect scholarly excellence and align with the University's mission to advance knowledge and serve humanity.

Breakthrough of the Year: CRISPR makes the cut

December 17, 2015
by John Travis
Science singles out CRISPR gene-editing as the Breakthrough of the Year.
https://www.science.org/content/article/and-science-s-2015-breakthrough-year

Richmond Sarpong elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 2, 2025
By Jason Pohl | Berkeley News
The National Academy of Sciences has added eight UC Berkeley faculty members to its esteemed ranks of scholars and experts, including Richmond Sarpong.

Omar Yaghi wins 2018 Eni Energy Transition Award

July 23, 2018
This year’s recipient is one of the most brilliant scientists working in the field of crystalline-porous solids research.