Matyjaszewski Named 2026 Blaise Pascal Medal Laureate in Chemistry
Heidi Opdyke
- Associate Dean of Marketing and Communications, MCS
- Email opdyke@andrew.cmu.edu
- Phone 412-268-9982
The European Academy of Sciences (EurASc) has named Carnegie Mellon University’s Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, a recipient of the 2026 Blaise Pascal Medal in Chemistry.
The award recognizes Matyjaszewski's pioneering contributions to polymer chemistry, particularly his development of Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP), a breakthrough method that transformed the controlled synthesis of polymers and enabled the creation of advanced materials with unprecedented precision. EurASc noted that ATRP has had a profound impact on both academic research and industrial innovation.
Matyjaszewski, J.C. Warner University Professor of Natural Sciences in the Department of Chemistry, joined Carnegie Mellon in 1985 and is internationally recognized as one of the world's leading polymer chemists. His invention of ATRP in the 1990s established a powerful new approach for designing functional polymers used in applications ranging from medicine and energy storage to electronics and sustainable materials.
The Blaise Pascal Medals recognize outstanding scientific excellence across a range of disciplines and are awarded through a rigorous peer-review process conducted by EurASc's scientific committees.
Matyjaszewski will be honored during the EurASc Annual Symposium & Awards Ceremony, Oct. 27-28, 2026, in Turin, Italy.
The award is the latest in a distinguished career marked by international recognition. Previous honors include the 2011 Wolf Prize in Chemistry, the 2015 Dreyfus Prize in the Chemical Sciences, the 2017 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry, the 2020 Grand Prix de la Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie in France and the 2023 National Academy of Sciences Award in Chemical Sciences. He is also a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.
