Professor Marc Hillmyer has received Royal DSM's 2020 Bright Science Award in material science.
Hillmyer is a member of the chemistry department at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. In a news release, officials with DSM in Geleen, Netherlands, said that the award jury selected Hillmyer because of the scientific breadth and depth of his work and its relevance to the advancement of bio-based and circular materials.
Hillmyer's scientific work combines deep knowledge of polymer synthesis and polymer properties and contributes to the development of recyclable and bio-based performance polymers, officials said.
Hillmyer's scientific breakthroughs, often achieved in collaboration with industrial advisors, are crucial for the transformation toward a bio-based and circular economy, they added.
The Bright Science award is for scientists who have made major contributions to fundamental or applied research in the field of sustainable materials and whose work is instrumental in helping businesses involved in materials industries adopt more sustainable strategic directions.
The 2020 Bright Science Award in materials sciences was organized by DSM in partnership with the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the world authority on chemical nomenclature and terminology. An international jury including members from DSM, DSM's Scientific Advisory Board, IUPAC and a previous prize winner selected Hillmyer from this year's eight nominees.
The jury praised Hillmyer's sustainability leadership and contributions to the wider scientific community including his work with the American Chemical Society, student outreach at the University of Minnesota, his position as the Director of the Center for Sustainable Polymers, and his work as Editor-in-Chief of Macromolecules, a journal published by ACS.
"I am thrilled and honored to receive the DSM Bright Science Award," Hillmyer said in the release. "I appreciate DSM's commitment to solving the world's most pressing societal issues as many of these issues relate to sustainable materials science, and I am very grateful that our work in the area has been recognized in this way."
DSM Chief Technology Officer Marcus Remmers added that Hillmyer's pioneering research in materials science "is pivotal for the development of products and applications that help society transition towards a bio-based economy based on preserving natural resources and stimulating greater circularity."
DSM is a global supplier of specialty plastics and chemicals. The firm employs 23,000 worldwide and has annual sales of almost $11 billion.
