AkzoNobel’s  Science Award program officially honored its first North American recipient when Carnegie Mellon University Professor Krzysztof (Kris) Matyjaszewski, Ph.D. was recognized for his cutting-edge polymer chemistry research.

Established in collaboration with the American Chemistry Society, the award was presented at the end of the company’s first ever North America Innovation Conference, held at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois.

Cited in scientific literature more than 50,000 times, Professor Matyjaszewski’s many achievements include the discovery of the atom radical transfer polymerization (ARTP) process. He received a $75,000 cash award and a certificate of recognition during the presentation ceremony.

“We have been honouring outstanding scientific contributions for more than 40 years and are privileged to recognize the work of Professor Matyjaszewski,” said AkzoNobel CEO Ton Büchner. “As a company, we are deeply committed to creating a more sustainable future through scientific research and we will continue to support visionary scientists as they strive to advance our understanding in all fields of chemistry and materials science.”

First bestowed in the Netherlands in 1970, the AkzoNobel Science Award was extended to Sweden in 1999. In order to reflect the increasingly global nature of the company, it was then extended to China in 2010, the UK in 2012 and North America in 2013.

Last year, the company invested almost €400 million in research and development, two-thirds of which was focused purely on sustainability. AkzoNobel has also set a target whereby 20 percent of its innovations will provide distinct sustainability benefits for its customers and their value chains.

The company will next present its Science Award in Sweden later this year.