Canada’s chemist awards announced for 2016

Ottawa, ON – Canadian Society for Chemistry and the Chemical Institute of Canada have announced the names of award recipients for 2016.

The Canadian Society for Chemistry award winners for 2016 are:

Award for Research Excellence in Materials Chemistry: Mark J. MacLachlan, University of British Columbia. Sponsored by the Materials Chemistry Division, the Award for Research Excellence in Materials Chemistry is presented to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant who has made an outstanding contribution to materials chemistry while working in Canada.

Bernard Belleau Award: Patrick Gunning, University of Toronto. Sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Canada) Incorporated, the Bernard Belleau Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of medicinal chemistry through research involving biochemical or organic chemical mechanisms.

Fred Beamish Award: Michael Serpe, University of Alberta. Sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific, the Fred Beamish Award is presented to an individual who demonstrates innovation in research in the field of analytical chemistry, where the research is anticipated to have significant potential for practical applications.

John C. Polanyi Award: Federico Rosei, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Université du Québec. Sponsored by the CIC Physical, Theoretical and Computation Chemistry Division, the John C. Polanyi Award is presented for excellence by a scientist carrying out research in Canada in physical, theoretical or computational chemistry or chemical physics.

Tom Ziegler Award: Tom Woo, University of Ottawa. This award, sponsored by Scientific Computing & Modelling, is presented in honour of Prof. Tom Ziegler (1945-2015) to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to computational or theoretical chemistry while working in Canada.

W.A.E. McBryde Medal: Aicheng Chen, Lakehead University. Sponsored by AB Sciex, this medal is presented to a young scientist working in Canada who has made a significant achievement in pure or applied analytical chemistry.

The Canadian Society for Chemistry confers awards to recognize professionals and students who have made outstanding contributions to the chemical sciences. Most CSC award winners receive their awards and present award lectures at the annual Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition.

The Chemical Institute of Canada administers its own awards program to recognize overall contributions to research and the chemical sciences and engineering community of chemists, chemical engineers and chemical technologists. The CIC’s subject division awards recognize outstanding individuals within specific fields of the chemical sciences and engineering. Its award winners for 2016 are:

Catalysis Award: Mark Lautens, FCIC, University of Toronto. Sponsored by the Canadian Catalysis Foundation, this award is presented to an individual who, while resident in Canada, has made a distinguished contribution to the field of catalysis. This award is presented every two years.

CIC Award for Chemical Education: Glen R. Loppnow, University of Alberta. Sponsored by the CIC Chemical Education Fund, this award is presented as a mark of recognition to a person who has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to education at the post-secondary level in the field of chemistry or chemical engineering.

CIC Medal: Stephen G. Withers, FCIC, University of British Columbia. Sponsored by the CIC and its top award, the CIC Medal is a mark of distinction and recognition to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the science of chemistry or chemical engineering in Canada.

Environment Division Research and Development Dima Award: Allan Bertram, University of British Columbia. Sponsored by Dima Technology Inc., this award is presented for distinguished contributions to research and/or development in the fields of environmental chemistry or environmental chemical engineering, while working in Canada.

Montréal Medal/Médaille de Montréal: Kim Baines, Western University. Sponsored by the Montréal CIC Local Section, this medal is presented as a mark of distinction and honour to a resident of Canada for an outstanding contribution to the profession of chemistry or chemical engineering in Canada.

The CIC awards are presented at either the annual Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition or Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference.