"Since its inception in 2012, the Journal of Polymer Science Innovation Award recognizes polymer scientists under the age of 40 and celebrates their significant research innovations and achievements in the field. Winners are recognized at a symposium in association with PMSE at the ACS Fall meeting. The editors of the Journal of Polymer Science and the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) are delighted to present the 2026 Journal of Polymer Science Innovation Award to Professor Zachariah Page."
Bio:
Zachariah A. Page is an Associate Professor in the Chemistry Department at The University of Texas at Austin, where his research develops light-driven strategies to make and manipulate plastics for applications in soft robotics, wearable electronics, and critical materials sequestration. Dr. Page earned a B.S. in Chemistry at Juniata College and a Ph.D. in Polymer Science and Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with Prof. Todd Emrick. He then trained as a postdoctoral scholar with Prof. Craig Hawker at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He joined UT Austin in 2018, where he directs a research program centered on photoredox catalysis, polymer synthesis, and additive manufacturing. Dr. Page has published more than 100 scientific papers, received several awards including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2025), Sloan Award (2024), and DoD AFOSR Young Investigator Award (2021), and co-founded Supra Elemental Recovery Inc. (2025).