Reception immediately follows lecture, 2nd floor, north atrium of Natural History Building.
Abstract: The coupling of controlled polymerizations with orthogonal functionalization are critical design elements for the synthesis of well-defined macromolecular architectures and crosslinked networks for applications ranging from bio-adhesives to structural composites. In synthesizing these functional materials, the development of user-friendly approaches to the preparation of polymeric libraries and the discovery of sustainable monomers and building blocks are key to obtaining materials with exceptional properties while introducing desirable features such as recycling and upcycling.
Bio: Professor Craig J. Hawker is Clarke Professor and holds the Alan and Ruth Heeger Chair of Interdisciplinary Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he co-directs the California NanoSystems Institute and the Dow Materials Institute. He came to UC Santa Barbara in 2004 after eleven years as a Research Staff Member at the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose, CA. Professor Hawker’s work has led to over 650 peer-reviewed papers and 100 patents with Professor Hawker helping to establish a range of start-up companies including Symyx, Intermolecular, Ilypsa, Relypsa and Olaplex. For his pioneering studies, Professor Hawker’s recent honors include an Honorary Doctorate from the Technical University of Eindhoven in 2023, the 2021 Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success from the American Chemical Society, the 2017 Charles Overberger International Prize, the 2013 ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry and the 2012 Centenary Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry. Professor Hawker has been honored with election to the Royal Society as well as being named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences.