Contact: acspchem@vt.edu
Self-nominations will not be accepted.
Note that nominations from previous years do not carry over.
Awards
2022 Undergraduate Award in Physical Chemistry
The Physical Chemistry Division of ACS is excited to announce our annual 2022 Undergraduate Award in Physical Chemistry. We encourage you to nominate the top physical chemistry student from your school for this national recognition.
Purpose of the Award: To recognize outstanding achievement by undergraduate students in physical chemistry and to encourage further pursuits in the field.
Eligibility: Each ACS-approved Department is eligible to nominate one student who will automatically receive this award. The nominee will have demonstrated excellence in physical chemistry and related fields based on research, coursework, and/or dedication as defined by the nominating institution. The student should be committed to a career in chemistry, broadly defined.
The nominee will receive the following:
- Official award certificate from the ACS Division of Physical Chemistry
- Recognition on the Division’s website: names of all awardees and their university affiliation will be listed
- One-year complimentary membership in the Division of Physical Chemistry (ACS membership is not required to be a member of the PHYS Division)
Deadline: June 15, 2022. We will make an effort to send award certificates within two weeks of submission. The certificate will be sent via email to the preferred email address (either to the Department or directly to the student, as you indicate). A complete list of awardees will be announced on approximately June 30, 2022. Questions about the award can be sent to Charlisa Daniels & Joshua Schrier at phys.ugrad.award@gmail.com.
2022 PHYS Division Young Investigator Awards
Eligibility: The applicant must hold a postdoctoral appointment at the time of submission of the application. The nominee MUST be a member of the PHYS division.
Application Procedures: All interested applicants should submit an abstract to one of the regular symposia (not the PHYS Division awards symposium). The application should consist of:
- A letter of no more than one page from the applicant describing his or her research accomplishments and career goals. The letter should also contain a short description of the work that is to be presented as well as the ACS paper number of the submitted abstract, and two (2) or more PHYS symposia at the upcoming ACS Fall national meeting in which the award talk might be presented. Indicate the Chicago symposium to which you submitted your abstract.
- The applicant’s current CV
- Two letters of support, one of which is typically from the applicant’s postdoctoral mentor. These letters should describe the applicant’s contributions to leading research and his or her accomplishments to date.
Application Deadline: All materials must be sent electronically to acspchem@vt.edu. The deadline is March 14th, 2022. Please include the nominee’s name in the subject line of the e-mail.
PHYS-Sponsored Awards:
The Division of Physical Chemistry sponsors four annual awards that recognize the outstanding scientific achievements of its members: the Senior and Early-career Theory Awards, the Senior Experimental Award, and the Richard P. Van Duyne Award (the former “Early-career Experimental Award”). The “Senior” awards are given to an established scientist, while the “Early-career” awards are given to scientists who are within the first 10 years of their independent careers*. The nomination window for the four PHYS awards opens in the early fall (announced via Twitter and email), and generally stays open until about November 1st. Winners are announced in mid- to late-January. Each of the honorees will be expected to present their award talk during the Awards Symposium held during the Fall National ACS Meeting. Details regarding procedures and eligibility for each award are provided below.
*See below for eligibility for ACS PHYS EC members.
The awards will be granted regardless of race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, presence of disabilities, and educational background.
ACS Physical Chemistry Division Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry
Purpose: To recognize outstanding contributions in experimental physical chemistry
Nature: The recipient will receive a plaque and will be invited to present his/her work at the fall ACS meeting that immediately follows the announcement of the award. In addition, the Division will pay up to $1,500 to cover the travel, lodging, and meal expenses for the award winner while at that ACS meeting. The winner will also be invited to the Sunday evening dinner following the PHYS Executive Committee meeting.
Eligibility: Eligibility is restricted to Physical Chemistry Division members who, at the time of the nomination, have not yet won a national award from a scientific society that is based on the nominee’s scientific accomplishments. Members of the National Academy of Science are also ineligible, but fellowship in a professional society is not considered a national award in this context. [The intent of this award is to recognize a top-notch mid- or senior-career scientist who is a key player in the physical chemistry community with a long history of exemplary research contributions but not a commensurate level of national or international recognition.][At the time of the nomination,] current serving members of the PHYS Division Executive Committee [in any capacity, including subdivisions and councilors as well as individuals who are up for election to these positions], are ineligible for nomination for this award until after their term of service.
Sponsor: PHYS Division
Established in 2010, updated in 2019
ACS Physical Chemistry Division Award in Theoretical Chemistry
Purpose: To recognize outstanding contributions in theoretical chemistry
Nature: The recipient will receive a plaque and will be invited to the next Telluride School on Theoretical Chemistry (TSTC), which are held every other summer, starting in 2009. At that meeting, he/she will present a plenary lecture and receive the award. The TSTC will pay up to $1,500 to cover travel, lodging, and meal expenses for the Award winner while at the TSTC. The recipient will also be invited to present his/her work at the fall ACS meeting that immediately follows the announcement of the award. In addition, the Division will pay up to $1,500 to cover the travel, lodging, and meal expenses for the award winner while at that ACS meeting. The winner will also be invited to the Sunday evening dinner following the PHYS Executive Committee meeting.
Eligibility: Eligibility is restricted to Physical Chemistry Division members who, at the time of the nomination, have not yet won a national award from a scientific society that is based on the nominee’s scientific accomplishments. Members of the National Academy of Science are also ineligible, but fellowship in a professional society is not considered a national award in this context. [The intent of this award is to recognize a top-notch mid- or senior-career scientist who is a key player in the physical chemistry community with a long history of exemplary research contributions but not a commensurate level of national or international recognitions.][At the time of the nomination,] currently serving members of the PHYS Division Executive Committee [in any capacity, including subdivisions and councilors as well as individuals who are up for election to these positions], are ineligible for nomination for this award until after their term of service.
Sponsor: PHYS Division and the Telluride School on Theoretical Chemistry
Established in 2008, updated in 2019, revised in 2021.
ACS Physical Chemistry Division Early Career Award in Theoretical Chemistry
Purpose: To recognize outstanding contributions in experimental physical chemistry by a young investigator.
Nature: The award will be given each year to honor achievements by an investigator in the early stage of his/her career in the area of theoretical chemistry. The recipient will receive a plaque and will be invited to present a lecture at the fall ACS meeting that immediately follows the announcement of the award. In addition, the Division will pay up to $1,500 to cover the travel, lodging, and meal expenses for the award winner while at that ACS meeting. The winner will also be invited to the Sunday evening dinner following the PHYS Executive Committee meeting.
Eligibility: Eligibility is restricted to Physical Chemistry Division members who, at the time of the nomination, are in the first ten (10) years of their careers as independent researchers, following their postdoctoral research, if applicable. [At the time of the nomination,] currently serving members of the PHYS Division Executive Committee [in any capacity, including subdivisions and councilors, as well as individuals who are up for election to these positions,] are ineligible for nomination for this award until after their term of service. Any nominees that has served on the PHYS Exec Committee that prevented them from applying during their last year of eligibility will have their eligibility extended to the first twelve (12) years of the careers as independent researchers.][Previous awardees of the JPC/PHYS Lectureships are not eligible.]
Sponsor: PHYS Division
Established in 2012, updated in 2019, revised in 2021.
ACS Physical Chemistry Division Richard Van Duyne Early Career Award in Experimental Physical Chemistry
Purpose: To recognize outstanding contributions in experimental physical chemistry by a young investigator.
Nature: The award will be given each year to honor achievements by an investigator in the early stage of his/her careers in the area of experimental physical chemistry. The recipient will receive a plaque, and will be invited to present a lecture at the fall ACS meeting that immediately follows the announcement of the award. In addition, the Division will pay up to $1,500 to cover the travel, lodging, and meal expenses for the award winner while at that ACS meeting. The winner will also be invited to the Sunday evening dinner following the PHYS Executive Committee meeting.
Eligibility: Eligibility is restricted to Physical Chemistry Division members who, at the time of the nomination, are in the first ten (10) years of their careers as independent researchers, following their postdoctoral research, if applicable. [At the time of the nomination,] currently serving members of the PHYS Division Executive Committee [in any capacity, including subdivisions and councilors, as well as individuals who are up for election to these positions,] are ineligible for nomination for this award until after their term of service. Any nominees that has served on the PHYS Exec Committee that prevented them from applying during their last year of eligibility will have their eligibility extended to the first twelve (12) years of the careers as independent researchers.][Previous awardees of the JPC/PHYS Lectureships are not eligible.]
Sponsor: PHYS Division
Established in 2012, updated in 2019, revised in 2021.
National ACS Awards Co-sponsored by the Division of Physical Chemistry:
E. Bright Wilson Award in Spectroscopy
The ACS Award in Theoretical Chemistry
Affiliate Awards
Ahmed Zewail Award in Ultrafast Science and Technology
Sponsor: The Ahmed Zewail Endowment Fund established by the Newport Corporation
JPC/PHYS Awards
Journal of Physical Chemistry & Theory Subdivision of the Division of Physical Chemistry Award for Outstanding Graduate Research
Journal of Physical Chemistry & Experimental Subdivision of the Division of Physical Chemistry Award for Outstanding Graduate Research
JPC-PHYS Division Lectureship Award
The Kavli
“The Kavli Prizes are awarded in three areas: astrophysics, nanoscience, and neuroscience – the largest, the smallest, and the most complex. I believe these prizes are in the most exciting fields for the twenty-first century and beyond.” – Fred Kavli