Awards

Recognizing excellence, leadership and impact in chemical and process engineering

The WCEC Awards recognize outstanding contributions to chemical and process engineering across different career stages, highlighting excellence in research, innovation, industrial impact, leadership and service to the profession.

Established for the first time at the World Congress of Chemical Engineering in Beijing in 2025, the Awards give global visibility to excellence across academia, industry and professional practice, while inspiring future generations of chemical engineers.

Award categories

Lifetime Achievement Award

Recognizes individuals with outstanding lifelong contributions to chemical and process engineering.

This award is open to researchers and professionals aged 55 and above who have demonstrated significant impact through industrial processes, innovation, academic advancements, education, leadership or service to the profession.

Research Excellence Award

Recognizes distinguished contributions in research, development and innovation by mid-career professionals.

This award is open to professionals between 35 and 55 years old who have demonstrated outstanding scientific, technological or industrial achievements with significant real-world applications.

Young Researcher Award

Recognizes promising young researchers who have made innovative contributions to chemical and process engineering.

This award is open to researchers under the age of 35 with significant achievements in academia, industry or applied research. Flexibility in age limits may be applied for candidates with career breaks.

2025 Awardees

The first WCEC Awards were presented during WCCE12 & APCChE 2025 in Beijing, China. The inaugural edition attracted more than 40 nominations across the three categories and followed a selection process supported by regional confederations and WCEC Council Members, reflecting the international character of the chemical engineering community.

Young Researcher Award
  • Shusaku Asano, Japan
  • Xiang Chen, China
  • Leonzio Grazia, Italy
  • Serene Lock Sow Mun, Malaysia
  • Xiaonan Wang, China
Research Excellence Award
  • Yi Cui, Stanford University, USA
  • Claire Adjiman, Imperial College London, UK
  • Hongbin Cao, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Robert S. Langer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
  • Lili Sun, China Petrochemical Corporation / SINOPEC, China
  • Andrew Livingston, Queen Mary University of London, UK

Next editions

Future editions of the WCEC Awards will continue to recognise excellence, leadership and impact across the international chemical engineering community.

Information on future calls for nominations, eligibility criteria, deadlines and selection procedures will be published by WCEC in due course.

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