Dr Young-Shin Jun, the Anna McKelvey Professor of McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University, has been named the winner of the 2026 ACS Midwest Award. The award will be presented at the Midwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society on Monday, October 26th. The regional meeting is hosted this year by Kansas State University in Manhattan, KS.
Young-Shin Jun, 2026 Midwest ACS awardeeSince 2008, Dr Jun has been a Professor in the Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering at Washington University. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ewha Womans University (Seoul, South Korea), holds master’s and PhD degrees at Harvard University, and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California–Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Dr Jun advances the understanding of nanoscale interfacial chemistry and solid nucleation to tackle key challenges in energy and the environment. She currently focuses on three critical areas: CO2-energy-chemical systems; novel technologies to recover critical elements, nutrients, and valuable salts from unconventional resources; and nanomaterials synthesis and nanotechnologies for improving the quality of water and soil. Dr Jun’s scholarly impact is demonstrated by 160 peer-reviewed publications, four granted patents and five pending patents.
Professor Jun has received numerous awards, including the 2008 Ralph E Powe Junior Faculty Award, the 2011 U.S. NSF CAREER award, the 2020 James Lee Award, the 2022 Jackson Award, an IUPAC 2025 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering Award, and the 2026 Engineer of the Year Award by the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) and the Korean Federation of Science and Technology Societies (KOFST). She was named a 2015 Kavli Fellow by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a 2016 Frontier of Engineering Fellow by the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a 2018 Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a 2019 Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and a 2024 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
She is the Chair of the American Chemical Society’s Committee on Science (COMSCI) and an Alternate Councilor of the ACS Environmental Chemistry Division. She was the 2015 Program Chair and the 2016 Division Chair of the ACS Geochemistry Division. As Chair of COMSCI, she has led the development and implementation of a new ACS meeting platform, Innovative Programming, which fosters collaboration on frontier research topics among technical divisions and committees, government organizations, academia, and industry. Professor Jun is an Editorial Board Member of ACS ES&T: Engineering, RSC Advances, and Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering.
Since 2008, she has advised 119 research trainees and has supported K–12 STEM education through a variety of outreach programs, benefiting students and teachers throughout the Saint Louis region.
On behalf of the Gateway Award selection committee, the St. Louis Section of the American Chemical Society is pleased to announce that Dr. Bobby Trawick has been selected as the first-ever recipient of the Gateway Award.
Dr. Bobby Trawick is a senior pharmaceutical research and development leader with more than 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical research, process development, and manufacturing operations across domestic and international organizations. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Global Technical Operations & Development at Keenova Therapeutics in the St. Louis area. With deep expertise in organic chemistry and pharmaceutical operations, he has led teams responsible for the development and approval of active pharmaceutical ingredients, drug products, and drug/device combination products. Known for his strategic vision, technical breadth, and critical thinking, Bobby has driven innovation and organizational change while serving as a trusted advisor to leaders across the life sciences industry and academia.
Bobby earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Morehouse College, where he was selected as a Ronald E. McNair Scholar and conducted research on liquid crystalline materials for the U.S. Army. He later received a Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship to pursue a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis under Prof. James Bashkin. His doctoral research focused on synthetic ribonucleases for site-specific RNA cleavage and potential catalytic antisense drug applications. After graduate school, Bobby joined MetaPhore Pharmaceuticals, contributing to the discovery and development of small-molecule superoxide dismutase mimics for inflammatory disorders; two candidates advanced to late-stage clinical trials using scalable processes he developed.
During his 20-year tenure at Keenova, Bobby has contributed to projects of increasing scope and complexity, including API manufacturing of regulated compounds, peptides, and biologics. He has led early- and late-stage development programs involving small molecules, oligonucleotides, and targeted nanoparticles. He served as the technical leader for two multi-year collaborations with the Washington University Center for Drug Discovery and received the company’s inaugural “Inventor of the Year” award for discovering novel Toll-Like Receptor 9 antagonist compounds with potential applications in pain, autoimmune disease, and stroke.
Bobby’s work has supported collaborations with academic and medical partners including St. Louis University, Yale University, the University of Colorado, Morehouse School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He is also passionate about teaching and served for many years as an adjunct instructor in Organic Chemistry I and II at Washington University’s University College.
His community and professional service includes advising Research Enabled, supporting Hikari Medical Technologies, championing the Family Workforce Centers of America-Career Institute, judging the Washington University LEAP Innovation Program and St. Louis Arch Grants, presenting on scientific career paths at the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club, and supporting STEM tutoring at University City High School.
Bobby and his wife, Leonora, have two children: Samaya, a graduate in Public Health from Xavier University of Louisiana, and Aydan, a fourth-year Software Engineering major at Morehouse College. His hobbies include woodworking, building DIY audio equipment, 3-D printing, and playing drums.
Stay tuned to the Chemical Bond for details on the upcoming Gateway Award celebration!
We will open a tab at Rockwell Brewery beer garden and mark 2-3 tables. Beer, non alcoholic drinks and food will be hosted by the section. This is a family friendly event in a great neighborhood park. The venue is located next to the playground, tennis and pickle ball courts at Francis Park – Looking forward to seeing many there!
Elizabeth Bergman, Chair of this year’s award jury, has announced Dr. Feng Jiao of the Department of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering at Washington University as the winner of the 2026 St. Louis Section ACS Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to chemistry and demonstrated potential to further advance the profession.
Dr. Jiao is internationally recognized for pioneering research on electrochemical devices that address critical challenges in energy storage, sustainable chemical production, and food security. His work focuses on two key areas: electrochemical systems for carbon utilization and novel materials for energy applications. His team developed electrochemical flow reactors that dramatically improve the conversion efficiency of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide into value-added chemicals, far exceeding conventional batch systems. His innovative synthetic methods for nanostructured materials have also opened new possibilities in morphology and composition, advancing the fields of electrocatalysis and electrode materials.
Feng Jiao earned his B.S. in Chemistry from Fudan University (2001) and his Ph.D. from the University of St Andrews, Scotland (2008). Following postdoctoral studies at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, he joined the University of Delaware in 2010 as a professor in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, rising to Director of the Center for Catalytic Science and Technology (2020) and full Professor (2021). In 2023, he joined Washington University’s Department of Energy, Environmental, and Chemical Engineering to direct the Center for Carbon Management and was named the Lauren and Lee Fiexel Distinguished Professor in 2025.
Dr. Jiao received an NSF CAREER Award (2014) and an Emerging Investigators Award from the Journal of Materials Chemistry A (2020). In 2023, he was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. He received the 2025 ACS Energy and Fuels Mid-Career Award and was elected a Fellow of the American Chemical Society that same year. With an H-index of 73, he has published over 128 highly cited peer-reviewed articles in journals including Nature, Nature Chemistry, Nature Catalysis, and Nature Food. Having surpassed 26,000 citations, he was named a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate in 2023–2025. He holds three patents and cofounded the green chemistry company Lectrolyst in 2018.
Dr. Jiao actively serves the academic community as Executive Editor of the Chemical Engineering Journal and as an editorial or advisory board member for the Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Materials Today Sustainability, Cell Reports Physical Science, and Trends in Chemistry. He served as Program Chair for the ACS Division of Energy & Fuels (ENFL) in 2023, where he established symposia for early-career and young researchers, and continues on its advisory board. Additionally, he served as a panelist at the Mission Innovation Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Experts’ Workshop (2017) and testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works during the hearing on the Utilizing Significant Emissions with Innovative Technologies Act (2018).
Board of Directors
St Louis Section–ACS Board of Directors meets the second Thursday of each month, usually over Zoom. E-mail chair@stlacs.org for the Zoom link to the next meeting.
Date: September 10th
Join internet meeting at 6:00 pm for social/chit-chat
Business meeting begins at 6:30 pm
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Future meetings: October 8th, November 12th
Maryville University
Seminars are approximately once a month. Details are available on the university’s seminar page. All seminars are free and open to the public. Contact Gifty Codjoe for more information.
Saint Louis University
Seminars are generally on Fridays at 12 noon in Carlo Auditorium, Tegeler Hall, unless noted otherwise. Refreshments follow. For the most up-to-date information, refer to the department’s home page and follow the link to the Seminar Schedule.
University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy in St. Louis
The Center for Clinical Pharmacology hosts a monthly seminar series in ARB 212 unless otherwise noted. For the most up to date information refer to the center’s seminar page or contact Jodi Maslin.
University of Missouri–St Louis
Mondays at 4 pm in 451 Benton Hall, unless otherwise specified. Refreshments 15 minutes prior to seminar time. For timely information on visiting seminar speakers, contact the Chemistry Department, 314.516.5311, or visit the seminar schedule. The department has additional seminar series which are also accessible from this page.
Washington University
Seminars are in McMillen 311 at 4 pm unless otherwise noted. For information, consult the departmental events page. Related seminars, including endowed seminar series and the WU med school biochemistry series, are linked here as well.
The Chemical Bond is published at www.stlacs.org January through May and September through December by the St Louis Section–American Chemical Society. If you would like to receive email notification when each issue is posted, you can subscribe to our email list and join the “Chemical Bond reminders” group.
Correspondence, letters to the editor, etc., should be emailed to editor@stlacs.org or mailed ℅ St Louis Section–ACS, PO Box 410192, Saint Louis, MO 63141-0192.
