Rooted in a legacy that stretches back to the founding of the University of Illinois, the Department of Chemistry has shaped generations of leaders in the chemical sciences. For more than a century, we have educated and inspired innovators who carry the Illinois spirit into laboratories, classrooms, boardrooms, and communities around the world. Today, our global alumni network—more than 10,000 strong—continues to transform the world through groundbreaking discoveries, visionary teaching, dedicated mentorship, and exemplary leadership.
Our graduates include Nobel Prize and Priestley Medal recipients, ACS presidents, CEOs, distinguished researchers, and influential voices across industry and academia. Their achievements not only reflect their individual brilliance but also the enduring impact of an Illinois chemistry education. We are proud of the many ways our alumni elevate the chemical sciences and contribute to society, and we are committed to celebrating their remarkable accomplishments.
New in 2026, the Department of Chemistry will honor outstanding members of this community through the Distinguished Alumnus Award and the Young Alumnus Achievement Award—recognizing those whose work embodies the excellence, innovation, and service that define Illinois Chemistry.
The Department of Chemistry will begin accepting nominations for the 2026 Alumni Awards on March 23, 2026. The deadline to nominate someone for a 2026 Alumni Award will be May 1. Learn more about the purpose, eligibility requirements, nomination process, and selection process for each award in the dropdown menu below. The link to the nomination form will go live on March 23, 2026.
Department of Chemistry Alumni Awards
Learn more about these annual alumni achievement awards that will be presented for the first time in 2026.
Distinguished Alumni Award
Purpose
The purpose of the Distinguished Alumnus Award is to recognize professional accomplishments or unique contributions to society of graduates of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Chemistry.
Eligibility
Nominees must be alumni of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who, at the time of nomination, are at least 15 years after earning their terminal degree.
Recipients shall have distinguished themselves by outstanding achievements in the chemical sciences, by fostering the professional development of young chemists, and/or by uniquely contributing to society. Recipients should be dedicated to the ideals of the profession as evidenced by their contributions to the recognition and promotion of chemistry activities and professional organizations.
Members of the Department of Chemistry award selection panel are eligible for the award while serving on the selection panel but will recuse themselves during discussion of their nomination.
Members of the Department of Chemistry faculty are ineligible for the award while on the faculty and for at least two years after ending their faculty status with the University.
Nominees shall remain on the ballot for three years. Individuals who were not selected can be renominated.
Nomination and Selection
- Nominations may be submitted by any individual, except individuals are ineligible to nominate themselves.
- A completed Nomination Form must be submitted online by the deadline for consideration.
- The Department of Chemistry award selection panel shall submit to the Assistant Director of Advancement Operations a list of recommended nominees for the awards in rank order. The final decision shall be made by the department head, in consultation with others as appropriate.
- Upon selection, each awardee shall be notified in writing of their selection by the Assistant Director of Advancement Operations.
Presentation of the Award
- The award shall be presented to the winner at the annual Department of Chemistry Alumni Dinner.
- Award recipients shall be published in the Department of Chemistry Alumni Magazine.
General
- The Assistant Director of Advancement Operations shall maintain a list of the past recipients and annually provide that list to the award selection panel.
- The Assistant Director of Advancement Operations will automatically nominate recipients of the Distinguished Alumnus Award for other college and campus awards.
Young Alumni Achievement Award
Purpose
The purpose of the Young Alumnus Achievement Award is to recognize early professional accomplishments or unique contributions to society by graduates of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Department of Chemistry.
Eligibility
- Recipients shall have distinguished themselves in their fields of endeavor and achieved a level of accomplishment significantly greater than that of other recent graduates who meet the criteria for this award.
- Alumni who earned a B.S. and/or M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois must be 40 years of age or younger at the time of nomination.
- Alumni who earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois must be within 15 years of earning the Ph.D. at the time of nomination.
- Recipients shall have demonstrated the values derived from a chemistry education by one or more of the following:
- Outstanding technical advancement or achievement
- Enhancement of chemistry education
- Outstanding leadership resulting in significant accomplishments
- Exemplary service to the profession
- Members of the Department of Chemistry award selection panel are ineligible for this award.
- Members of the Department of Chemistry faculty are ineligible for an award while on the faculty and for two years after ending their faculty status with the University.
- Nominees shall remain on the ballot for three years. Individuals who were not selected during the three-year period can be renominated, providing that the eligibility criteria are still met.
Nomination and Selection
- Nominations may be submitted by any individual, except individuals are ineligible to nominate themselves.
- A completed Nomination Form must be submitted online by the deadline for consideration.
- The Department of Chemistry award selection panel shall submit to the Assistant Director of Advancement Operations a list of recommended nominees for the awards in rank order. The final decision shall be made by the department head, in consultation with others as appropriate.
- Upon selection, each awardee shall be notified in writing of their selection by the Assistant Director of Advancement Operations.
Presentation
- The award shall be presented to the winner at the annual Department of Chemistry Alumni Dinner.
- Award recipients shall be published in the Department of Chemistry Alumni Magazine.
General
- The Assistant Director of Advancement Operations shall maintain a list of the past recipients and annually provide that list to the award selection panel.
- The Assistant Director of Advancement Operations will automatically nominate recipients of the Young Alumnus Achievement Award for other college and campus awards.