On August 26, 2025, the International Engineering Technology Institute (IETI) officially announced the winners of the inaugural "Krzysztof Matyjaszewski Award for Chemical Sciences and Materials Engineering". Emeritus Professor Tom Welton from Imperial College London (UK) and Professor Brent S. Sumerlin from the University of Florida (USA) jointly became the first Laureates of the award, in recognition of their pioneering contributions to green chemistry and functional polymer materials.

It is reported that this international award is one of the top honors under IETI, focusing on polymer science, materials innovation, nanotechnology, green chemistry and sustainable materials development. It aims to recognize outstanding scientists in fields such as chemistry and materials engineering who have both scientific breakthroughs and the ability to address global practical challenges like sustainability and energy.

Core Contributions of the Laureates

Professor Tom Welton
As a leader in the field of green chemistry, Professor Welton is a pioneer in the research of ionic liquids as alternative solvents. He deeply elucidated the structure-property relationships of ionic liquids, proposed the concept of "reaction-solvent matching", promoted the development of clean processing technology for biomass polymers, successfully developed sustainable alternatives to petrochemical plastics, and realized the in-depth integration of research results with industrial applications. His award citation emphasizes that he "pioneered and continuously advanced research on green chemistry and ionic liquids, laying a key foundation for promoting sustainable materials to replace traditional petrochemical products".

Professor Brent S. Sumerlin
Professor Sumerlin has achieved remarkable results in the field of functional polymer synthesis and smart materials. He applied "click chemistry" and post-polymerization modification technologies to macromolecule research, enabling the precise structural design of polymers; he made outstanding contributions in areas such as stimuli-responsive block copolymers, dynamic-covalent macromolecular materials, and polymer-protein conjugates, and related technologies have been applied in targeted drug delivery, tissue engineering and other fields. The award citation commented that he "revolutionized functional polymer synthesis technology and promoted self-healing, programmable smart materials to practical applications".

Origin of the Award's Name
The award is named after Krzysztof Matyjaszewski, a giant in polymer science and J.C. Warner University Professor of Natural Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University. The "Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP)" technology invented by Professor Matyjaszewski has completely revolutionized the traditional polymer synthesis model. So far, he has published more than 1,300 academic papers, authored or edited 25 books and 103 book chapters, and holds 72 U.S. patents. He has won international top awards such as the Wolf Prize in Chemistry (2011) and the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry (2017), with significant influence in both academia and industry.