The American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Professional Relations recognized six new awardees of the ACS Pride Merck Graduate Research Award. The award, sponsored by Merck, recognizes excellent graduate research in the chemical sciences from researchers who are members of the LGBTQIA2S+ (LGBTQ+) community. Awardees will be recognized and have the opportunity to present their work at the 2026 ACS Spring Meeting in Atlanta, GA.
The goal of the ACS Pride-Merck Graduate Research Award is to encourage and support members of the LGBTQ+ community in their research efforts and pursuit of careers in the chemical sciences. The award rewards the selected graduate students with a stipend of $1,500 and a year-long mentorship pairing with a Merck Global Company scientist. The award was recognized with the ChemLuminary Award, “Best Activity or Program Highlighting ACS Change Driver(s) or Strategic Planning,” by the Strategic Planning Committee in 2024 for supporting chemistry through the social responsibility change driver.
Dr. Samuel Brunclik, ACS Pride subdivision chair of ACS PROF, oversaw this year’s application process and continued industry partnership with Merck. Brunclik said, “We had another amazing year with a large pool of incredible applicants who made the selection process difficult! Thank you to all those that applied and shared the award. We are very excited to announce this year’s 6 awardees. These awardees represent a range of disciplines and backgrounds that we believe are a snapshot of the future of chemistry and the Society. As the Chair of Pride, I am looking forward to working with these outstanding awardees this coming year to celebrate their achievements with our vibrant community.”
The 2026 ACS Pride Merck Graduate Research Award recipients are:
- Thomas Knoll, he/him, Stony Brook University, computational photochemistry
- Kenneth (Ken) Lopez-Perez, he/him, University of Florida, cheminformatics for drug discovery
- Max Neumann, he/him, University of Wisconsin – Madison, photochemistry
- Jan Michael Salgado, he/him, McGill University, organic synthesis and catalysis
- Sebastian Urbano, he/him, Tufts University, biochemical kinetics
- Kevin Zong, he/him, Scripps Research Institute, carbene catalysis
Read more about the recipients on the ACS PROF’s blog at acsprof.org/blog
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The Division of Professional Relations of the American Chemical Society elevates professionalism for all chemists, representing all types of chemical professionals in various career stages and chemical disciplines. PROF aims to empower chemical professionals for success by creating inclusive communities, resources, and programming for its members. Visit PROF’s website at acsprof.org to learn more.
