Professor Marc Hillmyer
Royal DSM, a global science-based company in nutrition, health and sustainable living, awards Professor Marc Hillmyer, from the chemistry department at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, with the 2020 Bright Science Award in materials sciences. The jury reportedly selected Hillmyer because of the scientific breadth and depth of his work and its relevance to the advancement of bio-based and circular materials.
Over the past few decades, linear economic consumption of material resources has left the world facing a series of defining, complex and interdependent environmental challenges, according to DSM. This concerning landscape underpins the Bright Science Award in materials sciences. The award is for scientists who have made major contributions to fundamental or applied research in the field of sustainable materials and whose work is instrumental in helping businesses involved in materials industries adopt more sustainable strategic directions.
Hillmyer’s scientific work, which combines deep knowledge of polymer synthesis and polymer properties, contributes to the development of recyclable and bio-based performance polymers. Hillmyer’s scientific breakthroughs also include controlled nano-porosity in materials made from sacrificial block copolymers as well as the hierarchical self-assembly of multifunctional block copolymers into, for example, multicompartment micelles with three distinct phylicities as used in nanolithography. Such breakthroughs, often achieved in collaboration with industrial advisors, are crucial for the transformation toward a bio-based and circular economy.
The 2020 Bright Science Award in materials sciences was organized by DSM in partnership with the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the world authority on chemical nomenclature and terminology. An international jury including members from DSM, DSM’s Scientific Advisory Board, IUPAC, and a previous prize winner selected Hillmyer from eight nominees. The jury praised Hillmyer’s sustainability leadership and contributions to the wider scientific community including his work with the American Chemical Society (ACS), student outreach at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, his position as the director of the Center for Sustainable Polymers and his work as editor-in-chief of Macromolecules, a journal published by ACS.
The DSM Bright Science Awards Program also includes yearly awards for PhD graduates. Every even year, the award for experienced scientists is related to materials sciences. In odd years, its related to life sciences. The award is accompanied by a cash prize of €25,000.
For more information, visit www.dsm.com