Deadline for applications is October 31 of even numbered years

The Young Industrial Polymer Scientist Award was established to recognize outstanding industrial innovation and creativity in the application of Polymer Science, conducted by young individual scientists. This award was established in 2016 and is administered by the POLY Division of of ACS and is sponsored by the Industrial Advisory Board (IAB).  The award is presented biennially in odd-numbered years in the fall at the national ACS meeting during the POLY/PMSE award program.

Award: Awardees will  receive a plaque, an honorarium of $2,000, and reimbursement for reasonable travel expenses to the national ACS meeting at which the award is presented. The recipient is expected to present at a symposium in his/her honor at the national ACS meeting, organized by the POLY division programming chair and nominator. The award shall be granted to an individual without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, or sexual orientation.

Eligibility: A nominee must be a member or affiliate of the POLY division of ACS. Consideration will be given to nominees who have worked in an industrial facility for a minimum of 3 years, and are under the age of 40 years. Selection is based on the creative polymer science that they have conducted and their contributions to technological innovation in the relevant sector of the polymer industry. The nominee’s work must have been published externally, which includes any of the following: patent applications, technical journals, marketing materials, or technical presentations. The award shall be granted to an individual without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, religion, disability, or sexual orientation. The nominee must be under the age of 40 years old at the time of nomination.

Nomination: Nominators must be a member or affiliate of the POLY division. Nomination packages should be sent by email as a single PDF file to the POLY division business office at carleel@vt.edu and should include (in order):

• A completed application form
• One nomination letter that highlights the impact of the nominee’s work in the specific award area (2 pages maximum)
• Nominee’s curriculum vitae (2 pages maximum, tailored to award)
• A complete list of externally published work relevant to the award (e.g., patents, publications, books, etc.)
• **Specific to the YIPS Award“” two letters of support (1 page max. length) may be included as part of the PDF award package although not stated on POLY Awards application form. These letters of support (in addition to the nomination letter) are especially important for the young industrial scientists, since they may not yet have an externally published record (projects may be kept as trade secrets, etc.).  These letters of support will aid in the selection committee’s evaluation of the nominee.

Previous Awardees

2021	Victoria Piunova – IBM
2019	Jason Rolland – Carbon 3D
2017	Jeannette Garcia – IBM

For more information of previous awardees:

Young Industrial Polymer Scientist Award- Previous Awardees 2017-2025