Learn more about the winners of the 2026 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science.
Join us as we celebrate the winners of the 2026 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science. In partnership with the ACS Division of Catalysis Science and Technology (CATL) and the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry (ORGN), this year’s awards tie directly to a ground-breaking publication in ACS Catalysis.
In recognition of the large scope of catalysis covered by ACS Catalysis, the 2026 awards have been given in each of the three areas of catalysis covered by the journal: biocatalysis or enzymology, heterogeneous catalysis, and homogeneous catalysis. The awards honor recent and significant contributions to the field, which appeared as a publication in ACS Catalysis within the last 36 months preceding the nomination deadline (2023, 2024 or 2025).
This year’s recipients reflected on the influence of their research and shared their perspectives on where the field of catalysis is headed next.
In their interviews, they discussed:
- How their research is making a difference in their field
- What excites them about the future of their research area
- What the biggest opportunities and challenges are in their field of research right now
Together, their insights highlight the curiosity, discipline, and inventive mindset driving the future of catalysis.
Browse by Award or Winner:
2026 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science in Biocatalysis
Winner: Dr. Stephen G. Bell, Adelaide University, Australia
Winning Article: Engineering Peroxygenase Activity into Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenases through Modification of the Oxygen Binding Region
2026 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science in Heterogeneous Catalysis
Winners: Prof. Ayman M. Karim, University of Virginia, USA; Prof. Hongliang Xin, Virginia Tech University, United States
Winning Article: CO Oxidation on Ir1/TiO2: Resolving Ligand Dynamics and Elementary Reaction Steps
2026 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science in Homogeneous Catalysis
Winner: Prof. Richard Liu, Harvard University, United States
Winning Article: Pd-Catalyzed Azidation of Aryl (Pseudo)Halides
2026 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science in Biocatalysis
The ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science in Biocatalysis recognizes researchers with recent, significant publications in ACS Catalysis.
Winner: Dr. Stephen G. Bell
Winning Article: Engineering Peroxygenase Activity into Cytochrome P450 Monooxygenases through Modification of the Oxygen Binding Region
Dr. Stephen G. Bell is a teaching and research academic in the School of Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences at Adelaide University, Australia. He supervises research projects on enzymes sourced from diverse bacteria and archaea that inhabit interesting and extreme biological environments.
A focus of his group’s recent work has been the protein engineering of the oxygen activation machinery of monooxygenase enzymes to enable hydrogen peroxide-driven catalysis eliminating the need for nicotinamide cofactors and auxiliary redox proteins. This has resulted in the discovery and development of robust, thermostable heme enzymes capable of catalysing highly selective C–H bond hydroxylations. The overarching goal is to apply these enzymes as biocatalysts for the late-stage functionalisation of complex organic molecules, enabling access to compounds that are challenging to produce using conventional chemical methods.
Dr. Bell will be honored at an upcoming Award Symposium at ACS Fall 2026, taking place in Chicago from August 23-27, 2026.
2026 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science in Heterogeneous Catalysis
The ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science in Heterogeneous Catalysis recognizes researchers with recent, significant publications in ACS Catalysis.
Winners: Prof. Ayman M. Karim & Prof. Hongliang Xin
Winning Article: CO Oxidation on Ir1/TiO2: Resolving Ligand Dynamics and Elementary Reaction Steps
Prof. Ayman M. Karim is the Olsen Bicentennial Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Virginia. With an accomplished background in catalysis, Prof. Karim’s research focuses on designing heterogeneous catalysts for energy and environmental applications, using controlled synthesis, detailed kinetics measurements, and advanced in-situ and in-operando characterization techniques. His group has made significant advances in understanding the active site's structure of isolated atoms and subnanometer clusters and their reaction kinetics.
Prof. Hongliang Xin is Professor of Chemical Engineering at Virginia Tech, where he has been a faculty member since 2014. His research focuses on developing an explainable artificial intelligence (AI) platform for catalysis science. He is Communications Director of the North American Catalysis Society (NACS). He served as the inaugural co-chair for the 2026 Gordon Research Conference on AI for Materials, Energy, and Chemical Sciences (GRC AIMECS). He initiated and co-chaired the AI for Multidisciplinary Exploration and Discovery (AIMED) Workshop and has led community efforts to shape the responsible reporting practices toward agentic catalysis.
Prof. Karim and Prof. Xin will be honored at an upcoming Award Symposium at ACS Fall 2026, taking place in Chicago from August 23-27, 2026.
2026 ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science in Homogeneous Catalysis
The ACS Catalysis Lectureship for the Advancement of Catalytic Science in Homogeneous Catalysis is an annual award honoring recent, significant contributions to molecular catalysis published in ACS Catalysis.
Winner: Prof. Richard Liu
Winning Article: Pd-Catalyzed Azidation of Aryl (Pseudo)Halides
Prof. Richard Liu was born in Changsha, China and moved to Toronto, Canada at the age of six. He earned his A.B. in chemistry and physics from Harvard University in 2015, working in the labs of Profs. Ted Betley and Eric Jacobsen. Richard pursued Ph.D. studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), earning his degree in 2019 under the supervision of Prof. Stephen Buchwald, with whom he developed several CuH-catalyzed olefin hydrofunctionalization reactions. After a short postdoctoral stay at MIT in Prof. Timothy Swager’s group, Richard returned to Harvard to join the faculty in 2022. His research group is interested in the development and understanding of catalytic methods, including those based on late transition metals, redox-active organic molecules, and photoswitches.
Prof. Liu will be honored at an upcoming Award Symposium at ACS Fall 2026, taking place in Chicago from August 23-27, 2026.
