Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Lectureships and Awards

ACS Chemical Biology Young Investigator Award

ACS Chemical Biology and the ACS Division of Biological Chemistry are proud to announce Dr. Jeremy Baskin (Cornell University) as the recipient of the 2024 ACS Chemical Biology Young Investigator Award.

This award honors the contributions of an early-career individual who is doing outstanding work in chemical biology.

Molecular Pharmaceutics Early Career Best Paper Award

We are excited to announce the 2025 Molecular Pharmaceutics Early Career Best Paper Award recipients:

• Dr. Sergio Martin Saldaña (Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Polimeros, Spain)
• Ms. Thu A. Hoang (Monash University, Australia)
• Dr. John Gleeson (Merck, United States)

Sponsored by Molecular Pharmaceutics, this award is presented to three early career scientists, one each from three major geographic regions: the Americas, Europe/the Middle East/Africa, and Asia-Pacific. As part of the award, the winners will present their research as part of ACS Publications' Winners Week 2025 webinar series in June 2025.

Bioconjugate Chemistry Young Investigator Award

Bioconjugate Chemistry and the ACS Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering are proud to announce Dr. Han Xiao (Rice University) as the winner of the 2025 Bioconjugate Chemistry Young Investigator Award.

This award recognizes an outstanding early career researcher for important recent advances in interfacing synthetic and biological systems.

ACS Synthetic Biology Young Innovator Award

ACS Synthetic Biology, in partnership with The American Institute of Chemical Engineers, is proud to announce Prof. John Ngo (Boston University) as the winner of the 2025 ACS Synthetic Biology Young Innovator Award.

This award recognizes an outstanding early career investigator conducting research in any area of synthetic biology.

Philip S. Portoghese Medicinal Chemistry Lectureship

The Editors of the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, and the ACS Division of Medicinal Chemistry (MEDI) are pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Philip S. Portoghese Journal of Medicinal Chemistry/ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters/Division of Medicinal Chemistry Joint Lectureship Awards:

• Dr. Leslie Burnett (Revolution Medicines, United States)
• Prof. David Heppner (SUNY Buffalo, United States)

These annual awards are named in honor of Professor Philip S. Portoghese, who served as Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Medicinal Chemistry from 1972 to 2011. The awards are given to young investigators who have displayed impact and/or promise of impact to the field of medicinal chemistry.

Biochemistry Gordon Hammes Lectureship Award

Biochemistry and the ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology are pleased to announce Prof. Karen Allen (Boston University) as the winner of the 2025 Gordon Hammes Lectureship Award.

This award recognizes and honors an individual whose scientific contributions have had a major impact on research across all biological chemistry.

Biochemistry Gordon Hammes Scholar Award

Biochemistry and the ACS Division of Biochemistry and Chemical Biology are pleased to announce Dr. Jianjun Cao (Monash University) as the winner of the 2025 Gordon Hammes Scholar Award.

This award honors early career scientists responsible for exceptional research published in Biochemistry.

ACS Infectious Diseases Young Investigator Award

The winners will be announced soon—stay tuned for updates.

Sponsored by ACS Infectious Diseases and the ACS Division of Biological Chemistry, these awards recognize three outstanding young investigators in the field of infectious diseases.

Chemical Research in Toxicology Young Investigator Award

The winners will be announced soon—stay tuned for updates.

Sponsored by Chemical Research in Toxicology and the ACS Division of Chemical Toxicology, this award honors the contributions of an early-career individual who has had a major impact on research in chemical toxicology or a related field.

ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science

The winners will be announced soon—stay tuned for updates.

This annual award honors an individual or a collaborative team for recent and significant contributions to the field, which appeared as a publication in ACS Catalysis within the last 36 months preceding the nomination deadline (2022, 2023 or 2024). In 2025, one lectureship award will be given in each of the three areas of catalysis covered by ACS Catalysis: biocatalysis or enzymology; heterogeneous catalysis; homogeneous catalysis.

This lectureship is awarded in partnership with ACS Catalysis, the ACS Division of Catalysis Science and Technology and the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry.

ACS Chemical Biology Lectureship Award

The winners will be announced soon—stay tuned for updates.

Sponsored by ACS Chemical Biology and the ACS Division of Biological Chemistry, this award honors an individual whose contributions have had a major impact on scientific research in the area of chemical biology.