2026 ACS Global Outstanding Student & Mentor Awards in Polymer Science and Engineering, Sponsored by CME and PMSE
Date: August 24, 2026
Date for Website Display: Until September 24, 2026
Time: 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Location: McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago
Program: 9th Annual CME NASA Symposium, Day 1, Afternoon Session
Organizer: CME in collaboration with PMSE and POLY
The purpose of the ACS Global Outstanding Graduate Student and Mentor Award is to disseminate globally the latest knowledge of polymer research and to recognize at the ACS National Meeting not just two winning students, one from the USA and one from anywhere in the world, but also their mentors. The awards are organized by the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Division of the American Chemical Society and supported by Chemical Marketing & Economics, Inc. (CME). These unique awards that include plaques and cash prizes recognize graduate students within one year of graduation or a recent graduate who has completed an outstanding thesis in polymer research accepted by a university during the three-year period prior to January 1 of the award year.
2026 USA Team
Student: Dr. David Kitto, University of Michigan Mentor: Prof. Jovan Kamcev, University of Michigan
2026 International Team
Student: Dr. Lei Chen, University of Manchester, UK Mentor: Prof. Guillaume De Bo, University of Manchester, UK
Future Nominations
The deadline is February 15 of the award year for nomination packages. The students and mentors to be recognized must have made significant contributions to polymer science and engineering. There are no fees to make a nomination.
Nominations must be made by the university thesis supervisor or by others familiar with the nominee’s work. Nominating documents must be in English and include the nominee’s biography (full CV), a synopsis of the work, a letter of recommendation from the thesis advisor, up to two supporting documents (e.g. additional letters of recommendation from collaborators or thesis-relevant publications), and a passport valid for two years and eligibility for USA entry visa. Nominees will be judged by a selection committee for the quality and the impact of the research. A PDF file of the nomination package should be sent via Prof. LaShanda Korley and Prof. Mike Hore (acsglobalaward@pmsedivision.org) with the title “GOSM Award Nomination package for (Nominee Name)”.
