William H. Nichols Medal
The William H. Nichols Medal recognizes outstanding contributions in the field of chemistry and is the first award authorized by the American Chemical Society.  Presented at a gala award dinner annually since 1903, the Nichols Medal encourages original research in chemistry.  Nichols Medal recipients are a singularly significant group of distinguished scientists which includes twenty Nobel Laureates and thirty-three National Medal of Science recipients. 

Shown at left is 2024 Nichols Medalist Prof. Emily A. Carter of Princeton University (bio) who was feted for her groundbreaking quantum insights in sustainable catalysis on April 12, 2024.


The William H. Nichols Award is generously supported by The Boston Foundation via the 
William H. Nichols Fund for Chemistry.


2024 William H. Nichols Distinguished Symposium
Physical Chemistry and Sustainability
Honoring 
Professor Emily A. Carter
Friday, April 14, 2024 
Sonesta Hotel, White Plains, NY

1:30 p.m.      Welcome
                      Professor Ping Furlan, 2024 Chair, ACS New York Section, US Merchant Marine Academy
1:35 p.m.      Opening of the Distinguished Symposium
                     Professor Eric Chang, 2024 Chair-Elect, ACS New York Section, Pace University
1:45 p.m.      Computational Discovery of Metal-Organic Frameworks for a Changing World
                     Professor Laura Gagliardi, Department of Chemistry, University of Chicago
2:30 p.m.     Designing Metal Oxide-Based Thermochemical Redox Materials and Processes: Solar Fuels and Energy Storage
                     Professor Ellen Stechel, Center for an Arizona Carbon-Neutral Economy, Arizona State University
3:15 PM       Coffee Break
3:45 p.m.     Observing Molecular Transport through Living Cell Membranes – Pushing the Boundary of Physical Chemistry toward Biology
                     Professor Hai-Lung Dai, Department of Chemistry, Temple University
4:30 p.m.     A Physical Chemist's Journey to Combat Climate Change
                     Professor Emily A. Carter, Nichols Medalist, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment, and Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics, Princeton University and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory



Thank you to these organizations for supporting their undergraduates by purchasing a Nichols Award Dinner table
William H. Nichols Medalists   (Complete list PDF) 
2024  Dr. Emily A. Carter                      For groundbreaking quantum insights into sustainable catalysis
2023  Dr. Karen I. Goldberg                 For pioneering work in organometallic reaction mechanisms
2022  Dr. Alison Butler                         For pioneering contributions to marine bioinorganic chemistry
2021  No Award 
2020  Dr. Krzysztof Matyjaszewski      For the development of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization
2019  Dr. Vicki H. Grassian                   For Contributions to Interfacial Environmental Chemistry
2018  Dr. Debra R. Rolison                   For Pioneering 3D Nanoarchitectures for Energy-relevant Materials
2017  Dr. Chad A. Mirkin                        For Pioneering Practical Applications of Nanochemistry
2016  Dr. Stephen L. Buchwald           For Landmark Contributions to Organometallic Chemistry,
                                                                  Ligand Design and Catalysis
2015  Dr. Gabor A. Somorjai                  For outstanding Contributions to the Elucidation of Novel
          National Medal of Science         Highly Selective Nanocatalysts
2014  Dr. Amos B. Smith, III                   For outstanding Contributions to Synthetic Organic Chemistry
2013  Dr. Richard Eisenberg                 Contributions to Inorganic Photochemistry
2012  Dr. Alan G. Marshall                     Advances in Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance
                                                                  Mass Spectrometry
2011  Dr. Julius Rebek, Jr.                      Advances in the Science of Molecular Recognition and
                                                                  Encapsulation
2010  Dr. Tobin J. Marks                         Pioneering Research in Catalysis and Soft Matter Electronics
          National Medal of Science
2009  Dr. Carolyn R. Bertozzi                For New Methods at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology
          Nobel Laureate
2008  Dr. Nadrian C. Seeman                For Founding and Establishing the Field of Structural DNA
                                                                   Nanotechnology
2007  Dr. Nicholas J. Turro                     For Pioneering Research on the Photochemistry of Organic 
                                                                   Molecules and Supramolecular Systems
2006  Dr. K. Barry Sharpless                  For Click Chemistry, A New Strategy for Chemical Discovery
           Double Nobel Laureate 
2005  Dr. Richard N. Zare                       For Pioneering Studies of Chemical Reactions on the Molecular
           National Medal of Science         Level
2004  Dr. Allen J. Bard                            For the Invention and Development of the Scanning
           National Medal of Science         Electrochemical Microscope (SECM)
2003  Dr. Harry B. Gray                           For The Currents of Life: Electron Flow Through Iron and Copper
           National Medal of Science         Proteins
2002  Dr. Alan G. MacDiarmid                For Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Conducting
           Nobel Laureate                             Polymers
2001   Dr. Stuart L. Schreiber                  For Outstanding Contributions to Understanding Signal
                                                                    Transduction Pathways by Merging Synthetic Organic Chemistry
                                                                    and Molecular Cell Biology Approaches
2000  Dr. Barry M. Trost                           For Outstanding Contributions in the Use of Novel 
                                                                     Methodologies for Synthetic Chemistry

2022 William H. Nichols Distinguished Symposium Recap
The 2022 William H. Nichols Medal was presented to Prof. Alison Butler of the University of California - Santa Barbara for her pioneering contribution to marine bioinorganic chemistry.  The medal presentation followed the Nichols Distinguished Symposium  in her honor entitled Minerals, Microbes, and Metalloenzymes: Inorganic Chemistry at the Interface.    The symposium included the following lectures:

2020 Nichols  Distinguished Symposium Recap
The 2020 Nichols Medal was presented to Prof. Krzysztof Matyjaszewski of Carnegie Mellon University for the development of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP).  The medal presentation was preceded by the Nichols Distinguished Symposium that included the following talks:

2025 Nichols Medal Nominations
Due May 31, 2024
A call for nominations for the William H. Nichols Medal will be published in April 2024 issue of The Indicator with formal nominations and supporting letters due by the end of May 2024.  Investigators who have published a significant and original contribution in any field of chemistry during the five calendar years preceding the presentation meeting are eligible for consideration by the Nichols Medal Jury.  The Nichols Medal Jury deliberates and makes their decision by July.  Download the Nomination Form here.  Nominations and supporting letters should be emailed to Nichols_Medal@newyorkacs.org by May 31st for full consideration.

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