Dear Colleagues, 

We are pleased to announce the “Polymers 2024 Best Paper Award” for research and review articles published in Polymers in 2022. One review and three research articles will receive an award each. The papers will be selected after a thorough evaluation by the journal Award Committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker. 

Eligibility for the Award:
– Papers published in Polymers in 2022;
– Open to all career levels;
– Both regular and Special Issue submissions will be considered. 

Selection Criteria:
The papers will be selected by the journal Award Committee according to the following criteria:
– Scientific merit and broad impact;
– Originality of the research objectives and/or the ideas presented;
– Creativity of the study design or uniqueness of the approaches and concepts;
– Clarity of presentation;
– Citations and downloads. 

The Prize:
– The first prize: CHF 500 (one review paper and one research paper);
– The second prize: CHF 400 (one research paper);
– The third prize: CHF 300 (one research paper);
– Each winner will also receive a certificate. 

The winners will be announced on the journal website in March 2024. 

Kind regards,
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker, we wish to acknowledge our reviewers who so generously offer their time to review the papers submitted to Polymers by presenting an award to the reviewers who have demonstrated their dedication, professionalism, and timeliness in reviewing manuscripts for Polymers.

What are the pre-requisites to be eligible for this award?
All of the reviewers for Polymers in 2023 will be automatically included.

Selection Criteria:
– Number of review reports;
– The quality and timeliness of review reports.

What will the winners receive?
There will be five winners this year, and each will receive the following:
– CHF 500;
– A certificate.

When will the winners be announced?
The winners will be announced in March 2024 on the journal website.

How can I make myself eligible?
If you have not yet reviewed papers for Polymers, but would like to do so, you can register as a reviewer at the following link: https://susy.mdpi.com/volunteer/profile/edit.

Kind regards,
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

The journal Polymers is inviting applications for the Polymers 2023 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize will be awarded to a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential. The applications will be assessed by an evaluation committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Alexander Böker.

Eligibility and Requirements
– The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential;
– The PhD thesis must be their original work;
– The PhD thesis must be defended between 1 January 2023 and 31 October 2023. 

Required Application Documents
– An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words;
– A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
– The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis;
– An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
– A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student preparing to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Selection Criteria
– Quality of resume and publications;
– Relevance of the candidate and research description;
– Novelty of the candidate’s PhD thesis;
– Strength of the recommendation letter;
– Anticipated academic potential;
– Originality and impact of the research.

Prizes
– Bonus (CHF 800);
– Certificate;
– Offer to publish one paper free of charge in Polymers after peer review before the end of 2024.

The application deadline is 10 November 2023. The winner will be announced on the Polymers website by the end of January 2024.

Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that Polymers will be granting the Travel Award to two junior scientists. The applications will be assessed by an Evaluation Committee, consisting of senior scholars from the Polymers Editorial Board.

This award provides financial support for the winners to attend an international conference in 2023 and present their research in the field of polymer materials and science.

Candidate Requirements:
– The candidates must be postdoctoral fellows or PhD students.
– Candidates must also be planning to attend an international conference in 2023 (oral presentation or poster).

Required Application Documents:
– Information about the conference that the applicant is planning to attend and the abstract that will be submitted.
– Curriculum vitae and list of publications.
– Justification letter describing the focus of the research (max. 800 words).
– Letter of recommendation from the supervisor, research director, or department head, which also confirms the applicant’s status as a postdoctoral fellow/PhD student.

The winners (two awardees) will each be awarded CHF 800 and a certificate.

Please submit your applications for the Polymers 2023 Travel Award online by 31 May 2023. Prizes will be awarded at the end of June 2023 and announced on the Polymers web page.

Kind regards,
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

The Editorial Office would like to congratulate the winners of the Polymers 2023 Best Paper Award, who were chosen by a selection committee chaired by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker. Following a review process by the Award Evaluation Committee, four winners were selected.

Article:

The First Prize: CHF 500
Multifunctional Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane (POSS) Based Hybrid Porous Materials for CO₂ Uptake and Iodine Adsorption
By Mohamed Gamal Mohamed, Mei-Yin Tsai, Chih-Feng Wang, Chih-Feng Huang, Martin Danko, Lizong Dai, Tao Chen and Shiao-Wei Kuo.
Polymers 2021, 13(2), 221; doi:10.3390/polym13020221 

The Second Prize: CHF 400
Nanosponge-Based Composite Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Safer Li-O₂ Batteries
By Julia Amici, Claudia Torchio, Daniele Versaci, Davide Dessantis, Andrea Marchisio, Fabrizio Caldera, Federico Bella, Carlotta Francia and Silvia Bodoardo.
Polymers 2021, 13(10), 1625; doi:10.3390/polym13101625 

The Third Prize: CHF 300
Protective Face Mask Filter Capable of Inactivating SARS-CoV-2, and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis
By Miguel Martí, Alberto Tuñón-Molina, Finn Lillelund Aachmann, Yukiko Muramoto, Takeshi Noda, Kazuo Takayama and Ángel Serrano-Aroca
Polymers 2021, 13(2), 207; doi:10.3390/polym13020207 

Review: CHF 500
A Review of Vat Photopolymerization Technology: Materials, Applications, Challenges, and Future Trends of 3D Printing
By Marek Pagac, Jiri Hajnys, Quoc-Phu Ma, Lukas Jancar, Jan Jansa, Petr Stefek and Jakub Mesicek
Polymers 2021, 13(4), 49; doi:10.3390/polym13040598 

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Polymers 2023 Best Paper Award. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for your continued support of Polymers. 

Kind regards,
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Polymers 2022 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Polymers Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Polymers. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround is maintained.

Prof. Dr. Yiwen Li
College of Polymer Science and Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
Research Interests: poss; polydopamine; hydrogel; self-assembly; biomaterial 

Prof. Saulius Grigalevicius
Department of Polymer Chemistry and Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania
Research Interests: materials; material processing; material characterization; advanced materials; thin films and nanotechnology 

Dr. Mirela-Fernanda Zaltariov
Inorganic Polymers Department, “Petru Poni” Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi, Romania
Research Interests: metal-organic frameworks; silicones; polymeric blends; polymer composites; self-assembled networks 

Dr. Narsimha Mamidi
School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA
Research Interests: chemistry; nanomaterials; biomaterials; nanotechnology 

Dr. Nikolaos Politakos
Polymat, Applied Chemistry Department, Faculty of Chemistry, University of the Basque Country, Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Research Interests: polymer synthesis and characterization, preparation of composite materials, synthesis of responsive copolymer brushes from surfaces, preparation of 3D sponges such as graphene oxide materials for CO₂ capture and photocatalysis, synthesis of hydrogels for wound healing 

The Prize for Each Winner:

• CHF 500;
• A certificate. 

Kind regards,
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues, 

As the Editor-in-Chief, it is my great pleasure to announce the winner of the Polymers 2022 PhD Thesis Award. This award is for a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential.

The award has been granted to: 

“Formation, Modification and New Applications of Orderly Structured Titanium Oxide Nanostructures” By Simonas Ramanavicius, State Research Institute Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Lithuania 

The winner will receive CHF 800, a certificate, and a chance to publish a featured paper in Polymers with the article processing charge (APC) waived before the end of 2023. 

On behalf of the evaluation committee, I would like to congratulate the winner on their accomplishments. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the applicants for submitting their exceptional theses and the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award. 

Prof. Alexander Böker
Editor-in-Chief, Polymers

Dear Colleagues,

The Editorial Team of Polymers would like to congratulate the winners of the Polymers 2022 Best Paper Award, who were chosen by a selection committee chaired by the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker. Following a review process by the Evaluation Committee, four winners were selected. The recipients of the Polymers 2022 Best Paper Award are as follows:

Article:

First Prize: (CHF 500)
Core–Shell Eudragit S100 Nanofibers Prepared via Triaxial Electrospinning to Provide a Colon-Targeted Extended Drug Release (doi:10.3390/polym12092034)

Second Prize: (CHF 400)
The Inhibition Property and Mechanism of a Novel Low Molecular Weight Zwitterionic Copolymer for Improving Wellbore Stability (doi:10.3390/polym12030708)

Third Prize: (CHF 300)
Solid Polymer Electrolytes with Flexible Framework of SiO2 Nanofibers for Highly Safe Solid Lithium Batteries (doi:10.3390/polym12061324)

Review: (CHF 500)
Conducting Polymers in the Design of Biosensors and Biofuel Cells (doi:10.3390/polym13010049)

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Polymers 2022 Best Paper Award. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for their continued support of Polymers.

Kind regards, 
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Polymers 2021 Outstanding Reviewer Award. The Polymers Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Polymers. It is due to their efforts that the high quality and quick turnaround of the journal are maintained.

Dr. Sawsan A. Zaitone
Suez Canal University, Egypt
Research Interests: neuroscience; metabolism; inflammation; neurodegeneration; insulin resistance; diabetes; tumors; cancer research; metabolic diseases; antioxidants; lipid metabolism; glucose metabolism; oxidative stress; histopathology; neuroprotection; animals

Dr. Lucia Baldino
Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132 84084 Fisciano (SA) Italy
Research Interests: supercritical fluids; aerogels; membranes; microparticles; nanoparticles; extraction; liposomes

Dr. Gyorgy Szekely
School of Chemical Engineering & Analytical Science, the University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
Research Interests: membrane technology; membrane fabrication; adsorption; molecular imprinting; separation science; enantioseparation; wastewater treatment; sustainable processes, graphene adsorption; flow chemistry; organocatalysis

Prof. Dr. Bin Jiang
Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China
Research Interests: aqueous two-phase systems; separation and purification; edible films; protein nanofibers

Prof. Dr. Haibao Lu
Science and Technology on Advanced Composites in Special Environments Laboratory, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150080, China
Research Interests: shape-memory polymers; polymer nanocomposites; applied polymer physics

Kind regards,
Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker
Editor-in-Chief, Polymers

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the “Polymers 2021 Best Cover Paper Award”. The winners will, in no particular order, receive CHF 500. The winners are as follows:

Issue 18 (September-2 2021)
– Antioxidant Potential of the Bio-Based Fucose-Rich Polysaccharide FucoPol Supports Its Use in Oxidative Stress-Inducing Systems (doi:10.3390/polym13183020)

Issue 21 (November-1 2021)
– Systematic Evaluation of a Novel Self-Healing Poly(acrylamide-co-vinyl acetate)/Alginate Polymer Gel for Fluid Flow Control in High Temperature and High Salinity Reservoirs (doi: 10.3390/polym13213616)

Issue 22 (November-2 2021)
– Bio-Based Epoxy Adhesives with Lignin-Based Aromatic Monophenols Replacing Bisphenol A (doi:10.3390/polym13223879)

Congratulations to the winners for their excellent research!

We would like to thank everyone for your participation.

Kind regards, 
Polymers Editorial Office

The Editorial Team of Polymers would like to congratulate the winners of the Polymers 2021 Best Paper Awards, who were chosen by a selection committee chaired by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker. Following a review process by the Evaluation Committee, four winners were selected. The recipients of the Polymers 2021 Best Paper Awards are as follows:

Article:

Rank 1 Award: (500 CHF + a certificate)

The Relationships between the Working Fluids, Process Characteristics and Products from the Modified Coaxial Electrospinning of Zein (doi: 10.3390/polym11081287)

Rank 2 Award: (400 CHF + a certificate)

Design of Controlled Release System for Paracetamol Based on Modified Lignin (doi: 10.3390/polym11061059)

Rank 3 Award: (300 CHF + a certificate)

Additive Manufacturing of PLA-Based Composites Using Fused Filament Fabrication: Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelet Reinforcement on Mechanical Properties, Dimensional Accuracy and Texture (doi: 10.3390/polym11050799)

Review:

Rank 1 Award: (500 CHF + a certificate)

Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Composites: Manufacturing, Properties, and Applications (doi: 10.3390/polym11101667)

Please join us in congratulating the winners of the Polymers 2021 Best Paper Awards. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of our authors for their continued support of Polymers.

Kind regards, 
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Polymers 2021 Outstanding Reviewer Awards. The Polymers Editorial Board and Editorial Team would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy dedicated by reviewers in checking the manuscripts submitted to Polymers. It is due to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick turnaround is maintained.

Dr. Michael Arkas

Laboratory of Functional Nanomaterials of Organized Structure, Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos, Athens, Greece

Research Interests: liquid crystals; catalysis; water purification; dendritic polymers; dendrimers; hyperbranched polymers; silica hydrogels-xerogels

Prof. Dr. Ilaria Cacciotti, PhD

Department of Engineering, Niccolò Cusano University, Rome, Italy

Research Interests: biomaterials; biopolimeric composites; bioceramics; agri-food wastes; wet methods; sol-gel synthesis; nanoparticles; nano-/micro-spheres; fibrous membranes; coatings; scaffolds; additive manufacturing; electrospinning; drug delivery; food packaging; tissue engineering/regenerative medicine

Dr. Magdalena Aflori

Physics of Polymers and Polymeric Materials Department, Petru Poni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Iasi, Romania

Research Interest: multifunctional polymers; polymer composites; characterization and functionalization of polymeric materials for biomedical applications; nanomaterials and nanotechnology; surface modification and analysis; plasma physics and engineering

Dr. Dawid Janas

Department of Chemistry, Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland

Research Interest: nanocarbon; nanocomposites; high-performance materials

Dr. Zhien Zhang

William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA

Research Interest: polymeric membrane; composite membrane; CO2 capture; gas separation; water purification

Kind regards,
Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker
Editor-in-Chief, Polymers

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Polymers 2020 Young Investigator Award is Dr. Bernhard V. K. J. Schmidt.

Dr. Bernhard V. K. J. Schmidt leads an independent research group as Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. Dr. Schmidt’s research group investigates the self-assembly and demixing behaviors of hydrophilic polymers for application in the biomedical field. Another focus of the group is metal–organic framework/polymer hybrid materials and polymer–mediated crystallization modulation. Additionally, the group synthesizes carbon nitride/polymer hybrid materials for photocatalytic and biomedical applications. Dr. Schmidt received his PhD in 2013. He has since received several awards and has an outstanding publication record, comprising 74 primary publications and seven reviews in peer-reviewed international journals. Dr. Schmidt has around 2000 Scopus Scientific Citations, and his Hirsch index is 27. He is clearly a rising figure in the field of polymer materials. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Schmidt for his outstanding achievements.

As the awardee, Dr. Schmidt will receive an honorarium of 2500 CHF, a plaque, a waiver of the registration fees of the next Polymers conference in 2022, and a plenary presentation at the next conference.

We would like to thank the nominators from various fields of study for their participation and all the Award Committee Members for their consideration of the many excellent nominees.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker
Editor-in-Chief, Polymers

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the Polymers Best Paper Award for 2020. The winners were chosen from all of the research and review articles published between 1 January and 31 December 2018 on the basis of their originality and significance as well as the number of citations and download rates in 2019.

Following a review process by the Editor-in-Chief and four Associate Editors, the four top-voted publications are as follows:

First Prize: 500 CHF (one review paper and one research paper)

Ways, T.M.; Lau, W.M.; Khutoryanskiy, V.V. Chitosan and Its Derivatives for Application in Mucoadhesive Drug Delivery Systems. Polymers 2018, 10, 267.; doi: 10.3390/polym10030267. Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/3/267

Kuznetsov, V.E.; Solonin, A.N.; Urzhumtsev, O.D.; Schilling, R.; Tavitov, A.G. Strength of PLA Components Fabricated with Fused Deposition Technology Using a Desktop 3D Printer as a Function of Geometrical Parameters of the Process. Polymers 2018, 10, 313. doi: 10.3390/polym10030313. Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/3/313

Second Prize: 400 CHF (one research paper)

Nezhad, H.Y.; Thakur, V.K. Effect of Morphological Changes due to Increasing Carbon Nanoparticles Content on the Quasi-Static Mechanical Response of Epoxy Resin. Polymers 2018, 10, 1106. doi: 10.3390/polym10101106. Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/10/1106

Third Prize: 300 CHF (one research paper)

Castro-Aguirre, E.; Auras, R.; Selke, S.; Rubino, M.; Marsh, T. Impact of Nanoclays on the Biodegradation of Poly(Lactic Acid) Nanocomposites. Polymers 2018, 10, 202. doi: 10.3390/polym10020202. Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/2/202

In recognition of their accomplishment, each Best Paper Award winner will receive a certificate and the corresponding bonus.

Kind regards, 
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

The Polymers Editorial Office would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy given by reviewers in evaluating manuscripts submitted to the journal. It is thanks to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick submission-to-publication process are maintained.

The following referees have been selected to receive the “Polymers Outstanding Reviewer Awards 2019” for the quantity, timeliness, and quality of their reviews in 2019. Each of them will receive 500 CHF, and a certificate for their outstanding review work:

• Rossella Arrigo, Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy
• Tairong Kuang, South China University of Technology, China
• Ewa Olewnik-Kruszkowska, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland
• Jesús-María García-Martínez, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain
• Prokopios Georgopanos, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Germany

Kind regards, 
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Evaluation Committee, we are pleased to announce the winners of the Polymers Travel Awards 2019: an exceptional PhD student, Ms. Sarah Glass, and an outstanding postdoctoral fellow, Dr. Fanlong Meng.

Ms. Sarah Glass is a PhD Student at the University of Leipzig, Germany. Her PhD project is focused on developing hydrogels (hydrophilic polymers) for wound care applications. She will attend the European Polymer Congress 2019 (EPF 2019), held on 9–14 June 2019, in Hersonissos Heraklion Crete, Greece.

Dr. Fanlong Meng is a post-doctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization, Germany. His research is related to polymer science, mainly focusing on elastic–plastic transition of transient semiflexible polymer networks, morphology of active polymer networks, and mechanic responses of magnetic elastomers under external magnetic fields. He will attend the 5th International Soft Matter Conference (ISMC2019), held on 3–7 June 2019, in Edinburgh, UK.

They will be awarded 800 Swiss Francs each towards their travel expenses to attend the conferences. We congratulate the winners for their accomplishments.

We would like to thank all the applicants for their participation with high-quality submissions and the Evaluation Committee members for reviewing the numerous applications received.

Kind regards, 
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the “Polymers Best Paper Award” for 2019. The winners were chosen from the research and review articles published between 1 January and 31 December 2017, based on their originality and significance, and the number of citations and download rates in 2018.

First Prize: 500 CHF

An, B.W.; Shin, J.H.; Kim, S.-Y.; Kim, J.; Ji, S.; Park, J.; Lee, Y.; Jang, J.; Park, Y.-G.; Cho, E.; Jo, S.; Park, J.-U. Smart Sensor Systems for Wearable Electronic Devices.
Polymers 2017, 9, 303; doi: 10.3390/polym9080303.
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/9/8/303

Al-Saygh, A.; Ponnamma, D.; AlMaadeed, M.A.; Vijayan P, P.; Karim, A.; Hassan, M.K. Flexible Pressure Sensor Based on PVDF Nanocomposites Containing Reduced Graphene Oxide-Titania Hybrid Nanolayers.
Polymers 2017, 9, 33. doi: 10.3390/polym9020033.
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/9/2/33

Second Prize: 400 CHF

Guo, L.; Zou, C.; Dai, S.; Chen, C. Direct Synthesis of Branched Carboxylic Acid Functionalized Poly(1-octene) by α-Diimine Palladium Catalysts.
Polymers 2017, 9, 122. doi: 10.3390/polym9040122.
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/9/4/122

Third Prize: 300 CHF

Song, Y.; Sun, Z.; Xu, L.; Shao, Z. Preparation and Characterization of Highly Aligned Carbon Nanotubes/Polyacrylonitrile Composite Nanofibers.
Polymers 2017, 9, 1. doi: 10.3390/polym9010001.
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/9/1/1

In recognition of their accomplishment, each Best Paper Award winner will receive a certificate and the corresponding bonus.

Kind regards, 
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

The Polymers Editorial Office would like to gratefully acknowledge the time and energy given by reviewers in evaluating manuscripts submitted to the journal. It is thanks to their efforts that the high quality of the journal and quick submission-to-publication process are maintained.

The following referees have been selected to receive the “Polymers Outstanding Reviewer Awards 2018” for the quantity, timeliness, and quality of their reviews in 2018. Each of them will receive 500 CHF, and a certificate for their outstanding review work:

• Xiaofeng Wang, University of Notre Dame, USA
• Ian Wyman, Queen’s University, Canada
• Dimitrios Bikiaris, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
• Gyorgy Szekely, University of Manchester, UK
• Bob Howell, Central Michigan University, USA

Kind regards, 
Polymers Editorial Office

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Polymers Travel Awards:

Patxi Garra, a PhD student at the Université de Haute-Alsace, France, whose research focuses on development of new photoinitiating and redox initiating systems for free radical and cationic polymerization. He will be presenting his work “Unprecedented photopolymerization of very thick films and access to composites: low optical densities vs. latent species strategies” at Polymers: Design, Function and Application (PDFA 2018).

Kankana Banerjee, a PhD student at the University of Mysore, India, whose research focuses on isolation, mass culturing, screening of fungal species for synthesis of metal nanoparticles and broad aspects of their biomedical applications, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, antibiofilm, biocatalytic, cytotoxicity studies on various cell lines, etc. She will be presenting her work “Peptide enhancement of gold nanoparticles exploited for an exceptional anticancer effect on colon carcinoma cells” at Polymers: Design, Function and Application (PDFA 2018).

The awards consist of 500 Swiss Francs, with a certificate and a waiver of the registration fee for the PDFA conference.

In addition, we have chosen five runners-up during the evaluation, who will also receive registration waivers to attend the conference.

• Junliang Zhang, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany;
• Qasim Zia, The University of Manchester, UK;
• Sarah Glaß, University of Leipzig, Germany;
• Arn Mignon, University Ghent, Belgium;
• Pavel I. Semenyuk, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia.

The decision was extremely difficult as we had a lot of high quality applications for the awards and we would like to thank all applicants for submitting their diverse and fascinating range of research topics. We congratulate the winners on their accomplishments.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Böker
Editor, Polymers, Chairman of PDFA
Fraunhofer-Institut für Angewandte Polymerforschung, Universität Potsdam, Germany

Prof. Dr. Frank Wiesbrock
Editor, Polymers, Chairman of PDFA
PCCL - Polymer Competence Center Leoben, Leoben, Austria

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Editorial Office of Polymers, we are pleased to announce the availability of awards for young researchers and postdocs, PhD students conducting research in the field of polymer research and who plan to attend the conference Polymers: Design, Function and Application (PDFA 2018, http://sciforum.net/conference/polymers-2018).

2018 Polymers Young Investigator Prize

Candidates’ Requirements:

– Ground-breaking contribution to the advancement  of the field
– 35 years age and under (by 31 December 2017).

Required Application Documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae and a list of publications.
2. Nomination letter from two established scientists in the field.

The award consists of 2500 Swiss Francs, a plaque, a waiver of the registration fees of the next Polymers conference in 2020 and a plenary presentation at the next conference. There will be a special session at the PDFA for the Young Investigator Award, at which point candidates are requested to give a presentation of their research. Evaluation committees will attend the special session and decide which one will be granted the Award.

2018 Polymers Travel Awards for Postdocs and PhD Students

Candidates’ Requirements:

– Applicants must be postdoctoral fellows or PhD students involved in the polymer research field.
– The abstracts or posters submitted by the applicants must be accepted by the scientific committee of the PDFA conference.

Required Application Documents:

1. A brief description of current and future research.
2. A CV, including a complete list of publications.
3. A letter of recommendation from the supervisor, research director or department head which also confirms that the applicant fulfills all requirements

Winners (two awardees) will be awarded 500 Swiss Francs with a certificateand a waiver of the registration fee for the PDFA conference.Runners-up (five awardees) will be granted a waiver of the registration fee for the PDFA conference.

Please apply by clicking the button above before 31 October 2017.

Dear readers of Polymers,

With greatest pleasure we present the winner of the 2018 Polymers Young Investigator Award: Dr. Lei Fang.

Dr. Fang leads an independent research group as assistant professor at the Texas A&M University (TAMU). The multi-disciplinary research program in the Fang Group focuses on the bottom-up synthesis and processing of novel organic polymer materials—namely, ladder and coplanar polymers, as well as microporous polymer networks—for applications in electronics and energy conversion/storage. The group’s thrust is to gain a profound understanding of the structure-property relationship of these materials at both, the molecular and the macroscopic levels, by employing the toolboxes of synthetic chemistry and device engineering. With this knowledge, they aim to establish a series of synthetically feasible, high performing, processable, organic carbon-based material systems for field effect transistors, light emitting diodes, solar cells, supercapacitors, and batteries, and to be at the forefront in the enhancement of their efficiencies. To date, Dr. Fang has co-authored over 29 articles and has received numerous awards.

Dr. Fang was selected by the evaluation committee of the Young Investigator Award from 19 applicants, of which four of the candidates are working in the United States, 10 in Europe, and five at universities in Asia. The committee members were Katja Loos, Klaus Müllen, Helmut Schlaad, Ulrich Neuhausen, Josef Wünsch, Richard Hoogenboom, Yao Lin, Svetlana Santer, Andreas Greiner, Frank Wiesbrock, and Alexander Böker. The committee selected Lei Fang as the winner by an anonymous vote after his presentation of recent research results and a subsequent group discussion.

As Sir Fraser Stoddart said in his nomination letter, “He [Lei Fang] has demonstrated that he can, not only compete, but also shine in some of the most competitive institutions in the world when it comes to practicing synthetic, physical, materials, polymer, supramolecular, and nano chemistry at the onset of the 21st century.”

On behalf of the Polymers Editorial office staff and editorial board members, we wish to congratulate Dr. Lei Fang on his excellent performance and wish him all the best for his future career. We believe that he will have a profound influence on the development of chemistry over the next few decades and look forward to reading more of his research.

Dear readers of Polymers,

Finally, after an extensive voting period, we are proud to present the first winner of the Polymers Young Investigator Award to:

Dr. Luis M. Campos

who is an assistant professor at the Chemistry Department of Columbia University, USA. He was selected by the votes of the evaluation committes of Polymers Invesitigator Award from 38 candidates who were proposed by at least two colleagues from the field. Fifteen of the candidates are working in the United States, 13 in Europe and 10 at universities in Asian countries. The proposed candidates were representing a diverse range of fields of polymer science. Dr. Campos received his Ph.D. with Professor Miguel A. Garcia-Garibay and Professor Kendall N. Houk at UCLA in 2016 and did postdoc training in UCSB under the supervision of Craig J. Hawker. At the age of 37, Dr. Campos has already achieved an extra-ordinary standing in the polymer community. His excellent work focuses on the design and application of polymeric materials for e.g., solar cells and organic light emitting diodes, all topics of high societal and economic impact. His research has been featured in highly ranking journals such as the Nature family, Angewandte Chemie, and JACS to name a few. To date, he has co-authored over 60 articles and has received numerous awards. This finally led to invitations to numerous named lectures all over the world. Moreover, his work constitutes not only high level basic research but has shown to be highly relevant for industry which is reflected in 10 patents filed by him and his coworkers.

In addition to the cash prize and award, Dr. Campos will be an invited speaker at the 2018 Polymers conference.

On behalf of the Polymers Editorial office staff and editorial board members, I wish to congratulate Dr. Campos on his excellent performance and wish him all the best for his future career.

Alexander Böker,
Editor-in-Chief