Carnegie Mellon is affiliated with 21 Nobel Laureates across disciplines — 4 of which are in chemistry. This recognition underscores the university’s longstanding culture of world‑changing discovery. While Nobel recognition spans multiple departments and colleges, the Department of Chemistry proudly celebrates its connection to this legacy through interdisciplinary collaborations, shared research impact and a tradition of training scientists who push the boundaries of their fields.

The Wolf Prize is among the most respected international awards in the sciences. CMU Chemistry has deep ties to this honor:

Krzysztof Matyjaszewski — Wolf Prize in Chemistry (2011)

J.C. Warner Professor of the Natural Sciences

• Awarded for pioneering work in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP), a breakthrough that revolutionized polymer synthesis.
• His contributions continue to influence materials science, medicine, sustainability and nanotechnology.

Sir John Pople — Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1992)

Former CMU faculty member and theoretical chemist recognized for developing widely used quantum‑chemical methods that transformed computational chemistry.

CMU Chemistry faculty and alumni have also been honored with influential awards across the chemical sciences, including:

• Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize (Yisong Guo 2023)
• NAS Award in Chemical Sciences (Matyjaszewski, 2023)
• Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences (Matyjaszewski, 2015)
• Franklin Institute Award (Matyjaszewski, 2017)
• Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award (Terrence Collins, 2009)

CMU is equally committed to excellence in education — and Chemistry faculty and students have been recognized with several significant internal teaching awards.

Julius Ashkin Teaching Award

One of the Mellon College of Science’s highest teaching honors. Chemistry faculty have been celebrated for instructional excellence, including Gizelle Sherwood, who received the Julius Ashkin Teaching Award for outstanding contributions to student learning. Recipients of the Julius Ashkin Teaching Award

CMU Teaching Innovation Awards

Chemistry educators Dave Yaron, Karen Stump, William Alba and Emily Weiss earned university‑level Teaching Innovation Awards for advancing pedagogy and enriching the student learning experience. More information on CMU Teaching Innovation Awards

Graduate Student Teaching Award (Department of Chemistry)

This departmental award honors outstanding graduate student instructors who demonstrate excellence in teaching labs and recitations, strong communication, inclusive practices, and sustained impact over multiple semesters. Recent recipients — including Avleen Chawla, Leticia Pequeno Madureira and Verena Kempkes — were recognized for clarity, pedagogical creativity, and high student evaluation scores. Recipients of Hugh D. Young Graduate Student Teaching Award

The Department of Chemistry Graduate Teaching Award was established to recognize graduate teaching assistants and course assistants who have demonstrated sustained excellence in supporting undergraduate chemistry education. The award celebrates the essential contributions graduate instructors make to the department's teaching mission and helps foster a culture of excellence in education. Eligible nominees must have provided direct support to undergraduate students in chemistry courses for at least four semesters through laboratory instruction, recitation leadership, grading or related teaching responsibilities. Recipients are selected based on excellence in teaching, the development or implementation of innovative and effective instructional approaches, and/or the use of inclusive teaching practices that support students from all backgrounds.

• 2026: Babita Aryal, Mitch Baumer, Savannah Talledo, En (Jane) Zheng
• 2025: Avleen Chawla. Verena Kempke, Leticia Pequeno Madureira, Usama (Adam) Tash
• 2024: Chris Blum, Joshua Tippett, Jess Vinskus, Yiwen Wang
• 2023: Jaime Gaitor, Manami Kawakami, Colin Martin, Graham Thornhill
• 2022: Luke Monroe, Alex Pearse, Megan Van Horn
• 2019: April Berlyoung, Lydia Jahl, Meredith Schervish
• 2018: Annie Arnold, Alex Carpenter, Chris Collins, Zoe Wright
• 2017: Yookyung Bae, Eric Gottlieb, Dilhara Jayarathna, Jon Willcox
• 2016: Jiannan Liu, Artur Sargun, Selma Ulku
• 2015: Andria Fortney, Christian Legaspi, Heather Stout
• 2014: Isaac Mills, Jonathan Porras, Josh Worch
• 2013: Lea Da Silva Veras, Emily Daniels Weiss, Eric Wu
• 2012: Christian Legaspi, Huifeng Qian, Lisa Rastede
• 2011: Kelly Chacon-Madrid, Jing Kong, Ha Pham
• 2010: Jesse Miller, Nikolay Simakov, Hayriye Unal
• 2009: Martin Christen, Arnie DeLeon, Volkan Ediz
• 2008: Nicolae Albu, Matthew Crawford, Chad Ellis
• 2007: Arani Chanda, Joshua Hayden, Anya Zatsman
• 2006: Brian Cusick, Anca Dragulescu-Andrasi, Melanie Vrabel
• 2005: Delia Popescu, Amy Sage, Gizelle Sherwood
• 2004: Bryce Marquis, Andrea Jacquins-Gerstl

Established in 2022, the Chemistry Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Service in Mentoring Undergraduates in Research recognizes and celebrates exceptional graduate students who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to mentoring undergraduate researchers in the Department of Chemistry. The award reflects the department’s dedication to fostering a strong culture of undergraduate research and excellence in mentorship. Eligible nominees must have provided significant training and guidance to undergraduate students through long-term or repeated research mentoring experiences. Recipients are selected based on the impact of their mentorship, including helping undergraduate researchers secure competitive research opportunities, present their work at departmental and professional venues, and achieve important academic milestones such as Honors or BS/MS theses.

• 2026: Hunter Wood, Jess Vinskus, Ron Sarma
• 2025: Chris Birch, David Hebert, Jason Orlando, Graham Thornhill
• 2024: Sunipa Goswami, Kaizheng Liu, Xiaowei Ma, Riley Weatherholt
• 2023: Parameswar Pal, Jared Paris
• 2022: Karoline Eckhardt, Stephanie Kramer, Yogesh Sumasundar

The Chemistry Graduate Student Service Award was established to recognize graduate students in the Department of Chemistry who have demonstrated exceptional service that significantly enhances the department, the broader university community, or the educational mission of the discipline. The award celebrates sustained contributions that extend beyond the normal expectations of graduate research, teaching, or program requirements and reflects a commitment to leadership, initiative, and professional citizenship. Eligible nominees include all chemistry graduate students, with recipients selected based on the impact of their service in areas such as departmental leadership and community building, support of undergraduate education beyond assigned duties, educational outreach and engagement, university or professional service, and the development of programs or initiatives that benefit students and the broader community. At least one recipient is recognized annually for service that demonstrates meaningful, sustained impact and exemplifies the values of collaboration, mentorship, and academic citizenship.