Awards

2026 Graduate Student Award Winners

Congratulations to this years Graduate Student Award Winners! Our winners are as follows:

F.J. Nicholson Scholarship – Lauren Woolcombe

Arthur S. Hawkes Scholarship in Chemistry – Albert Zehan Li

Ed Shuter Scholarship – Jaelyn Bjornerud-Brown

Edward Piers Memorial Award in Organic Chemistry – Shanal Gunasekera

Brian and Jane James Graduate Scholarship in Catalysis Research –...

Professor Corinna Schindler Named 2027 ACS Arthur C. Cope Scholar

The UBC Department of Chemistry is proud to celebrate Professor Corinna S. Schindler, who has been named a 2027 Arthur C. Cope Scholar by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The prestigious Arthur C. Cope Scholar Awards recognize outstanding achievement and excellence in organic chemistry, highlighting researchers whose work is advancing the field through innovative discovery and leadership. Schindler joins an international cohort of ten distinguished scholars honored in 2027, underscoring...

Dr. Zachary Hudson Receives 2026 Rutherford Memorial Medal in Chemistry

The UBC Department of Chemistry is proud to congratulate Dr. Zachary Hudson on being awarded the 2026 Rutherford Memorial Medal in Chemistry, one of Canada’s most prestigious research honours presented by the Royal Society of Canada. Recognized for his innovative work in organic semiconductor materials, Hudson is advancing technologies with applications across the electronics, healthcare, and pharmaceutical sectors. His research has fostered impactful collaborations with industry, including...

Dr. Jason Hein Receives the 2026 LeSueur Memorial Award from SCI Canada

Professor Jason Hein has received the prestigious 2026 SCI Canada LeSueur Memorial Award, recognizing his excellence in chemical engineering and innovation. This award is presented to an individual for the development of technical excellence, in either a university/research institute or an industrial setting in Canada with a contribution to the Canadian industry through chemical creativity and innovation.

The award is...

Congratulations Graduate Student Summer Research Award Recipients

Congratulations to the following graduate students for being a recipient of the Graduate Student Summer Research Award!

Agnes and Gilbert Hooley Scholarship in Chemistry

Elvie Beaumont
Sydney Bell
Joseph Chang
Jad Kaj
Jingqi Lei
David Lim
Chie Nakayama
Jiahua Tan

Head’s Graduate Student Scholarship

Conrad Belzberg
Rida Farhat
Carina...

Celebrating Our 2026 Undergraduate Award Recipients

We are pleased to recognize the outstanding achievements of our undergraduate students who received awards at our Chemistry Undergraduate Graduation Celebration.

Congratulations to all of our award recipients! We are proud to celebrate your achievements and contributions to our academic community.

2026 Undergraduate TA Awards

Madilyn Cantrel

Francisco Cruz Custodinho

Delaney Rhyan Webber

Vera Parco

Kate Rossiter

Louie...

Dr. Kayli Johnson Receives H5P Award

Congratulations to Associate Professor of Teaching Kayli Johnson for receiving the H5P Award for Outstanding Visual Design with Simon Lolliot (Department of Psychology).

H5P is an open-source tool that can be used to create interactive online content. Each year, H5P accepts open nominations and then gives out a handful of international awards for effective and innovative content made using H5P. The...

Dr. Huan Receives 2025 Rising Star Award for Environmental Research

Associate Professor Dr. Tao Huan has been named a recipient of the 2025 ACS Environmental Au Rising Stars in Environmental Research. This annual recognition highlights exceptional early-career scientists whose work is shaping the future of environmental research across diverse fields.

Dr. Huan’s Rising Stars article is titled “Machine Learning-Assisted Recognition of Environmental Sulfur-Containing Chemicals in...

PhD Student Received REX Mentor of the Year Award

Congratulations to PhD student Justin Koh (Mehrkhodavandi Group) for receiving the REX Mentor of the Year Award!

REX is a six month long program designed to help undergraduate students build essential research skills through a proposed research project. At the end of the REX program, mentees will have the opportunity to present their finished projects at the Multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Conference...

Two Chemistry Faculty Members Receive 2025/2026 Killam Teaching Prize

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Nadine Borduas-Dedekind and Professor Roman Krems for receiving the 2025/2026 Killam Teaching Prize! The Killam Teaching Prize is awarded annually to faculty nominated by students, colleagues and alumni in recognition of excellence in teaching.

Rida Farhat Awarded the 2025 Chemistry Graduate Student Society Prize in Science Outreach

Congratulations to Rida Farhat on receiving the 2025 Chemistry Graduate Student Society Prize in Science Outreach!

This prize has been made available through an endowment established by the Chemistry Graduate Student Society (CGSS) for Masters and PhD students in the Department of Chemistry who have made contributions to community engagement and outreach by sharing science with the public. CGSS created this prize to highlight graduate students in the Department of Chemistry who are...

Dr. Ilsa Cooke Joins 2026 Class of Cottrell Scholars 

Congratulations to UBC astrochemist Assistant Professor Dr. Ilsa Cooke who has been named a 2026 Cottrell Scholar! The Cottrell Scholar program honors and helps to develop outstanding teacher-scholars who are recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their potential for academic leadership. ...

Congratulations Ryoga Hojo!

Congratulations to UBC Chemistry alumnus Ryoga Hojo on being named the first-ever recipient of the Chris Orvig Doctoral Prize in Chemistry! Hojo completed his PhD in the Hudson Group, graduating in August 2025.

This annual award recognizes the best PhD thesis in the Department of Chemistry. Hojo’s thesis is titled “Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence: From Rational Design to Applications in Photocatalysis”.

...

2025 Chemistry Alumni Award Winners

Congratulations to the 2025 UBC Chemistry Alumni Award winners, Dr. Renata Oballa (Alumni Award of Distinction) and Dr. Janet Ochola (Young Alumnus Award)!

Alumni Award of Distinction | Dr. Renata Oballa, BSc ’89, PhD '95

This award recognizes an alumnus whose accomplishments are of such excellence that they provide inspiration and leadership to students and other alumni. The recipient has shown significant leadership either in their professional career...

Dr. Ilsa Cooke Receives Funding from G+PS PhD Collab Pilot

Assistant Professor Dr. Ilsa Cooke and PhD Student Elsa Yuan have received funding from the UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) PhD Collab pilot program for their project "How to build a living planet: the ingredients for life on other worlds".

The PhD Collab is a pilot program originated and funded by G+PS, and has garnered strong interest in its two-year span, with 100 applications from across more...

Dr. Momose Named UBC Distinguished University Scholar

Congratulations to Professor Takamasa Momose for being a recipient of UBC's 2025 Distinguished University Scholars!

The Distinguished University Scholar awards recognize exceptional members of faculty who have distinguished themselves as scholars in research and/or teaching and learning. The program runs every two years. The award is conferred by the President on the recommendation of an Adjudication Panel.

...

Dr. Katherine Ryan Receives the Bernard Belleau Award

Congratulations to Professor Katherine Ryan for being the 2026 winner of the Bernard Belleau Award. The Bernard Belleau Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of medicinal chemistry through research involving biochemical or organic chemical mechanisms.

Dr. Ryan established her own research group in the Department of Chemistry at the University of...

Dr. Allan Bertram Named Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

Congratulations to Dr. Allan Bertram for being named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). Fellows of the RSC are distinguished Canadians from all branches of learning who have made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities, the sciences, as well as in public life.

“The Royal Society of Canada is delighted to welcome into its ranks a talented group of inspiring researchers, artists, and creators...

Dr. Jolene Reid Receives Keith Fagnou Award

Congratulations to Associate Professor Jolene Reid for receiving the 2026 Keith Fagnou Award! The Keith Fagnou Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to organic chemistry while working in Canada.

Since...

2025 Graduate Student Award Winners