Learn about the 2026 ACS Publications Environmental Science lectureship and award winners.
Celebrating this year’s winners of distinguished awards that honor leading researchers in sustainable chemistry, engineering, and environmental science.
These awards celebrate innovative scholarship, emerging leadership, and the impactful work driving scientific progress and addressing global challenges.
Below, you’ll find each award category alongside the accomplished individuals whose contributions are shaping the future of their fields.
This year’s recipients also took time to reflect on the significance of their work and the evolving landscape of their disciplines. In their interviews, they shared:
- How their research is creating meaningful impact—from advancing fundamental understanding to enabling real‑world applications.
- What excites them about the future, including emerging questions, technologies, and collaborations that inspire their next steps.
Browse by Award or Winner:
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award
- Winner: Prof. Grace Chen
- Winner: Prof. Nengchao Luo
- Winner: Dr. Fanran Meng
James J. Morgan Environmental Science & Technology Early Career Award
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award
This annual award honors early‑career researchers worldwide whose work advances sustainability, green chemistry, or green engineering. One winner is selected each year from the Americas, EMEA, and Asia‑Pacific.
The award is sponsored by ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute.
Winner: Prof. Grace Chen, University of Massachusetts Lowell (USA)
Prof. Grace Wan-Ting Chen is an Associate Professor in Plastics Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her research focuses on advanced recycling of plastic waste, biobased and biodegradable materials, multilayer packaging, microplastic/biofilm interfacial phenomena, safer solvent design, and solvolysis of biomass and plastics.
Her group has produced 58 peer‑reviewed publications and one patent. She has contributed to securing over $8 million USD in grants and is an awardee of the U.S. Army Research Office Early Career Program, ACS PMSE Early Investigator, ACS Principal Investigator Development in Sustainability Grant, the 2022 Department Teaching Excellence Award, and the 2025 Springer Nature Editor of Distinction Award.
Winner: Prof. Nengchao Luo, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (China)
Dr. Nengchao Luo is a Professor at Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). His research focuses on photocatalysis for upgrading renewable carbon resources, including the conversion of biomass to fuels and C1 chemicals (methanol, CO2, and CH4) to C2+ chemicals. Under this topic, he develops oxidation cocatalysts to enable C‒H bond breaking for either C‒C bond cleavage or C‒C coupling. He has coauthored more than 50 Publications and authorized for 11 patents. He received the Excellent Young Scientists Fund from the National Science Foundation of China in 2025, the Rising Star Award of Chinese Catalysis in 2025, and the Young Progress Prize of the Min Enze Energy Chemical Engineering Award in 2025. He is the leader of the Stably Supported Youth Team of CAS in the Fundamental Research Field. He also serves as the Young Editor Board of the Journal of Energy Chemistry and the Chinese Journal of Catalysis.
Winner: Dr. Fanran Meng, The University of Sheffield (UK)
Dr. Fanran Meng is a Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Chemical Engineering at the University of Sheffield and the recipient of major honors including the Royal Society of Chemistry 2025 Environment, Sustainability & Energy Early Career Prize, the 2026 ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering Lectureship Award, the 2026 IChemE Warner Medal award, and the Landor Links Decarbonising Transport Award 2026. His research focuses on decarbonizing complex materials, chemical, energy, and transport systems through whole‑system approaches, supported by over £32 million in funding from EPSRC, the Royal Society, and leading industrial partners.
He has published more than 40 papers in leading journals and his work has been featured by major media outlets. Dr. Meng also contributes to the field through editorial roles across leading sustainability journals and active membership in professional bodies including the EPSRC Manufacturing and Circular Economy Early Career Forum, IOM3, RSC, ISIE, and IChemE.
James J. Morgan Environmental Science & Technology Early Career Award
This award is named after James J. Morgan, the first Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Science & Technology, and honors outstanding early career researchers from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa whose innovative work is pushing the fields represented in Environmental Science & Technology and Environmental Science & Technology Letters driving the field/s forward in ways that echo Morgan’s trailblazing legacy.
We are proud to announce the winners of the 2026 award:
- Prof. Chiheng Chu, Zhejiang University (China)
- Ling Jin, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (People's Republic of China)
- Zhe Yang, University of Queensland (Australia)
- Yanyan Zhang, Westlake University (China)
Find out more about the 2026 winners:
Meet the Winners of the 2026 James J. Morgan Environmental Science & Technology Early Career Award — The Asia Pacific Region
Recognizing early career researchers leading the fields in new directions through creative, new ideas consistent with Morgan's early contributions to environmental chemistry.
Stay informed about upcoming nomination opportunities
Bookmark the post below and check back throughout the year for the latest news and announcements about nominations for future lectureships and awards.
Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry Lectureships and Awards
Explore both current and past journal lectureships and awards from ACS Publications' Environmental and Sustainable Chemistry portfolio.
