Winners of the 2026 Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Awards
2026.06.30
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: ICHIMURA Satoshi) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award and the Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award for Creative Work.
The awards have been established in 2004 with the aim of contributing to the sustainable development of chemistry and the chemical industry by recognizing researchers who have made outstanding achievements in catalysis science. The first awards were given in March 2005.
Now in its 11th iteration, this year’s awards again saw numerous applicants. Following thorough examination and consideration by our Selection Committee, the winners have been selected as listed below.
The award ceremony, as well as commemorative lectures by the winners, will be held in October 2026.
Winner of the 2026 Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award
Dr. Phil S. Baran Richard Lerner Chair Professor of Chemistry |
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Winners of the 2026 Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award for Creative Work
Dr. Karthish Manthiram Bren Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry | Dr. Yang Yang Associate Professor |
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1. The winners and their achievements for the awards
Winner of the 2026 Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award
Dr. Phil S. Baran Richard Lerner Chair Professor of Chemistry Scripps Research |
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| “Simplifying Synthesis Through Catalytic Radical Cross-Coupling” |
| Dr. Phil S. Baran is a leading researcher in the fields of catalysis and synthetic organic chemistry, recognized for pioneering unique catalytic systems that control single-electron transfer. Notably, he developed "catalytic radical cross-coupling" methods that directly generate radical species from readily available starting materials such as carboxylic acids. Eschewing reliance on scarce precious metals, he skillfully integrated abundant base-metal catalysts like iron and nickel with electrocatalytic processes at electrode interfaces, establishing highly robust and universally reproducible reaction platforms. He was highly commended for establishing these practical approaches, which assemble complex molecular structures with minimal steps through straightforward catalytic transformations. |
Winners of the 2026 Mitsui Chemicals Catalysis Science Award for Creative Work
Dr. Karthish Manthiram Bren Professor of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry California Institute of Technology | Dr. Yang Yang Associate Professor University of California, Santa Barbara |
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| "Heterogeneous Electrocatalysis from Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen, and Water Feedstocks" | "Biocatalytic Strategies for Stereoselective Radical-Mediated Carbon–Carbon Bond Formation" |
| Dr. Karthish Manthiram is a world-leading researcher in the development of environmentally sustainable electrochemical reaction systems. In particular, he has made significant contributions to the advancement of sustainable chemical transformations through pioneering achievements, including the establishment of lithium-mediated electrochemical ammonia synthesis systems, the realization of electrochemical hydroformylation, and the development of electrochemical propylene epoxidation utilizing oxygen derived from water. | Dr. Yang Yang has pioneered new biocatalytic strategies with artificially evolving enzymes as biocatalysts that enable highly reactive and difficult-to-control radical-mediated carbon–carbon bond formation to proceed with precise stereoselectivity. In particular, his work has realized a variety of de novo molecular transformations including radical cyclization and aromatic functionalization using metalloenzymes and light-induced radical generation and control within the finely organized reaction space of enzymes. This research opens new possibilities for the sustainable synthesis of complex, high-value molecules under mild conditions and thereby significantly contributes to the future development of catalysis science and precision molecular synthesis. |
2. Award ceremony and commemorative lectures by the winners
Mitsui Chemicals will be holding “Catalysis Science Forum”, where the awardees will deliver commemorative lectures that will be followed by the award ceremony. The forum will take place as a part of the “16th CSJ Chemistry Festa 2026” held by the Chemical Society of Japan.
- Date and time: October 20, 2026, afternoon (JST)
- Venue: Tower Hall Funabori, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan
