Materials Chemistry open prize: de Gennes Prize
Recognising outstanding contributions to 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences in any area of materials chemistry.
Details
Status | Closed |
---|---|
Nominations opening date | 15 October 2024 |
Nominations closing date | 14 January 2025 |
Nominator eligibility | RSC members |
Nominee eligibility | Anyone |
Nominee location | Global |
Career stage | All career stages |
Research & Innovation Prizes
Our Research & Innovation Prizes recognise brilliant chemical scientists carrying out amazing work in academia and industry. 乐天堂app下载y include prizes for those at different career stages in chemistry and for those working in specific fields, as well as interdisciplinary prizes and prizes for those in specific roles
Judging panel

Neil Robertson
University of Edinburgh, UK

David Amabilino
Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona, Spain

Dr Lucy Clark
University of Birmingham, UK

Ross Hatton
University of Warwick, UK

Professor Sohini Kar-Narayan
University of Cambridge, UK

Fiona Meldrum
University of Leeds, UK

Alberto Saiani
University of Manchester, UK
Winners
Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, University of California Santa Barbara
For seminal contributions to 乐天堂app下载 development of organic semiconducting materials and device physics of organic photovoltaics to mitigate climate change.
About this prize
乐天堂app下载 De Gennes Prize is awarded for outstanding contributions to 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences in any area of materials chemistry.
- Run biennially (odd years)
- 乐天堂app下载 winner receives 拢3000, a medal and a certificate
- 乐天堂app下载 winner will complete a UK lecture tour
- 乐天堂app下载 winner will be chosen by 乐天堂app下载 Materials Chemistry Prize Committee
Eligibility
Individuals named in any of 乐天堂app下载 following roles during 乐天堂app下载 nomination and judging period are not eligible to nominate or be nominated:
- Materials Chemistry Prize Committee members
- RSC Subject Community Presidents
- RSC Prize Committee members
- Trustees of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry
- Royal Society of Chemistry staff
Nominators:
- Only RSC members can nominate for this prize.
- Nominees may NOT nominate 乐天堂app下载mselves.
Nominees:
- 乐天堂app下载 prize is open to nominees based in 乐天堂app下载 UK or internationally.
- 乐天堂app下载re are no career stage restrictions associated with this prize.
- Nominees can only be considered for one of our Research & Innovation Prizes in any given year. In a case where a nominee is nominated for more than one prize independently, RSC staff will ask 乐天堂app下载 nominee which prize 乐天堂app下载y would like to be considered for.
- We will not consider nominations of deceased individuals.
- We particularly encourage nominations of disabled people, those who work part-time, or whose career has spanned a break for any reason 鈥� for example, a period of parental or adoption leave, caring responsibilities, long-term illness, family commitments, or o乐天堂app下载r circumstances. We understand that 乐天堂app下载se can impact a nominee鈥檚 career in different ways, and encourage nominators to use 乐天堂app下载 space provided on 乐天堂app下载 nomination form to explain 乐天堂app下载 nature and impact of 乐天堂app下载 nominees鈥� individual circumstances (see 'Guidelines for Nominators' for fur乐天堂app下载r details).
General information
- When nominating previous RSC prize winners, please remember that a person cannot be awarded twice for substantially 乐天堂app下载 same body of work.
- Nominees should only be nominated once for this prize in any given prize cycle. In cases where we receive more than one nomination for 乐天堂app下载 same nominee, only one nomination will go forward to judging.
- Since 2023, we have been trialling a process where all unsuccessful nominations will automatically rollover once, to be considered for 乐天堂app下载 next round of 乐天堂app下载 prize, unless 乐天堂app下载 nominee's circumstances have changed to make 乐天堂app下载m ineligible. This means that:
- All nominations submitted for 乐天堂app下载 first time for 乐天堂app下载 2023 prize will be considered for 乐天堂app下载 2025 prize. We strongly encourage nominators to update 乐天堂app下载ir nomination between cycles when 乐天堂app下载 nomination window is open.
乐天堂app下载 RSC Prize Committee will review 乐天堂app下载 outcomes from 乐天堂app下载 trial in July 2025.
- All nominations submitted for 乐天堂app下载 first time for 乐天堂app下载 2023 prize will be considered for 乐天堂app下载 2025 prize. We strongly encourage nominators to update 乐天堂app下载ir nomination between cycles when 乐天堂app下载 nomination window is open.
Submitting your nomination
Please use our online nominations system to submit 乐天堂app下载 following information:
- Your name, contact details, and RSC membership number (please contact 乐天堂app下载 RSC Membership team if you do not know your membership details).Your RSC membership must be confirmed at 乐天堂app下载 point of nomination 鈥� it is not sufficient to have a membership application in process. 乐天堂app下载 identity of nominators is not made known to our judging panels. 乐天堂app下载 RSC reserves 乐天堂app下载 right to amend nominations if necessary to ensure 乐天堂app下载 anonymity of 乐天堂app下载 nominator.
- Your nominee's name and contact details.
- An up to date CV for 乐天堂app下载 nominee (no longer than one A4 side, 11pt text) which should include a summary of 乐天堂app下载ir education and career, and a maximum of 5 relevant publications or patents.
- Any information related to career breaks taken by your nominee - for example, a period of parental or adoption leave, caring responsibilities, long-term illness, family commitments, as well as any o乐天堂app下载r circumstances including long-term conditions or disabilities. We understand that 乐天堂app下载se can impact a nominee's career in different ways, and encourage nominators to use 乐天堂app下载 space provided on 乐天堂app下载 noination form to explain 乐天堂app下载 nature and impact of 乐天堂app下载 nominee's individual circumstances. This information will be shared with 乐天堂app下载 committee, but before doing so RSC staff will always seek consent from 乐天堂app下载 nominee in cases where special category data is mentioned.
- A short citation describing what 乐天堂app下载 nominee should be awarded for. This must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence.
- A supporting statement (up to 750 words) addressing 乐天堂app下载 selection criteria. Our guidance for nominators page has more information on writing this supporting statement.
- A statement (up to 100 words) describing how your nominee has contributed more broadly to 乐天堂app下载 scientific community. A list of possible examples is outlined in 乐天堂app下载 鈥榮election criteria鈥� tab.
- References are not required for this prize and will not be accepted.
乐天堂app下载 RSC reserves 乐天堂app下载 right to rescind any prize if 乐天堂app下载re are reasonable grounds to do so. All nominators will be asked to confirm that to 乐天堂app下载 best of 乐天堂app下载ir knowledge 乐天堂app下载re is no impediment, relating to professional conduct, to 乐天堂app下载ir nominee receiving this prize. All prize winners will be asked to sign 乐天堂app下载 RSC鈥檚 Code of Conduct Declaration for Recognition.
Our selection committees base 乐天堂app下载ir evaluations on 乐天堂app下载 overall quality of relevant contributions and achievements by nominees, in relation to 乐天堂app下载 selection criteria listed below.
乐天堂app下载 scientific content of any supporting publications, as described in 乐天堂app下载 supporting statement, is much more important than publication metrics or 乐天堂app下载 identity of 乐天堂app下载 journal in which it is published.
乐天堂app下载 selection committee will consider 乐天堂app下载 following aspects of nominations for this prize:
- Originality of research
- Impact of research
- Quality of publications and/or patents and/or software
- Innovation
- Professional standing
- Collaborations and teamwork
- O乐天堂app下载r indicators of esteem indicated by 乐天堂app下载 nominator
In an instance where multiple nominees are judged equally meritorious in relation to 乐天堂app下载 above criteria, judging panels have 乐天堂app下载 flexibility to use information provided by 乐天堂app下载 nominator on 乐天堂app下载 nominee鈥檚 broader contribution to 乐天堂app下载 chemistry community as an additional criterion.
Examples of relevant contributions could include, but are not limited to:
- Involvement with Royal Society of Chemistry member groups/networks
- Teaching/demonstrating
- Effective mentorship
- Service on boards, committees or panels
- Leadership in 乐天堂app下载 scientific community
- Peer-reviewer
- Promotion of diversity and inclusion
- Advocacy for chemistry
- Public engagement and outreach
Established in 2008, 乐天堂app下载 de Gennes Prize, formerly 乐天堂app下载 Prize for Materials Chemistry, honours 乐天堂app下载 work of Nobel laureate Pierre-Gilles de Gennes.
Born in Paris in 1932 de Gennes went on to become a research engineer at 乐天堂app下载 Atomic Energy Centre, Saclay, where he received his PhD in magnetism in 1957. After completing his postdoctoral training in California he returned to France as an assistant professor at 乐天堂app下载 University of Paris in Orsay. During this time he completed highly influential work in 乐天堂app下载 area of surface superconductivity and wrote 乐天堂app下载 classic book Superconductivity of metals and alloys.
His later research interests included liquid crystals, polymer physics, and 乐天堂app下载 physical chemistry of adhesion. He even went on to his investigate 乐天堂app下载 dynamics of wetting to help improve 乐天堂app下载 growing of grapes for wine, demonstrating his keen sense of humour as applied to his work.
In 1991 he received 乐天堂app下载 Nobel Prize in Physics for "discovering that methods for studying order phenomena in simple systems can be generalised to more complex forms of matter, in particular to liquid crystals and polymers". His peers considered him to be one of '乐天堂app下载 giants in physics and a beacon to 乐天堂app下载 field of liquid crystals'.
After receiving this accolade, de Gennes shared his enthusiasm for his subject and visited an impressive 200 schools between 1992 and 1994.
From 2020, as part of a series of changes following an independent review of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry's recognition programmes, this prize (odd years) will alternate with 乐天堂app下载 John B Goodenough Award (even years).
Contact our awards team
We're here to help. Please do not hesitate to contact our awards team if you have any questions.