American Chemical Society’s president comments on award of 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4, 2023 — On behalf of the American Chemical Society (ACS), President Judith C. Giordan, Ph.D., congratulates today’s winners of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Moungi G. Bawendi, Ph.D., of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Louis E. Brus, Ph.D., of Columbia University; and Alexei I. Ekimov, Ph.D., of Nanocrystals Technology Inc. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the prize “for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots.”

“Chemists work continuously to develop and make novel architectures and scaffolds of atoms and molecules designed to deliver tailored properties and function,” says Giordan. “Quantum dots are a beautiful example of the ability to theorize a phenomenon, then synthesize and tailor particles and precisely manufacture them. The size tunability of quantum dots allows them to emit specific wavelengths of light for a wide range of uses from displays to bioimaging to lighting applications.”

Bawendi has been a member of ACS for 29 years. He is the winner of the 2010 ACS Award in Colloid and Surface Chemistry, which was sponsored by Procter & Gamble Co. at that time, and the 1997 Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry, sponsored by Avantor.

Brus has been a member of ACS for 45 years. He is the 2011 winner of the Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry, sponsored by DuPont, and the 2005 ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials, also sponsored by DuPont. He has been a member of the Committee on the Petroleum Research Fund and an alternate councilor of the ACS Division of Physical Chemistry.

Bawendi and Brus have published articles in some of ACS’ more than 80 peer-reviewed journals. In addition, news articles on the work have appeared in Chemical & Engineering News, ACS’ weekly newsmagazine. Articles are available upon request.

News media can arrange interviews with Giordan or other experts in the field by contacting ACS using the information provided. In addition, ACS will post a special Headline Science short video about the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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