Alfred R. Bader Award for Student Innovation

The Alfred R. Bader Award for Student Innovation recognizes creative work done by graduate students studying synthetic organic chemistry.

About the Award

Building on the legacy of Aldrich Chemical Company co-founder Alfred R. Bader, this award has since 2005 recognized the big ideas of up-and-coming chemists from around the world, whose work is expected to accelerate progress in synthetic organic chemistry.

Each applicant must submit a research summary and a personal statement. If selected as a finalist, applicants should be prepared to present their research before a panel of judges and peers at the Alfred R. Bader Student Chemistry Symposium held every autumn. In 2017, one grand prize winner was selected based on the presentations.

The award comprises four cash prizes and travel expenses for each of the four finalists.

Alfred R. Bader is one of many scientists who helped us grow into the vibrant global science and technology company we represent today. Through a series of mergers, Aldrich Chemical Company became Sigma-Aldrich, which is now part of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

The Alfred R. Bader Award for Student Innovation competition is open to advanced graduate students in synthetic organic chemistry from around the world and recognizes young chemists whose work is expected to accelerate progress in chemistry. Applications deadline is September 6, 2021.

Learn more
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Winners 2021

Bader Award Winners 2021 Isabelle Leibler, Mauro Mato, Rachel Knapp and Rui Zhang (from left to right)

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Bader Award 2019 winners Michael Crocker, Lucas Hernandez, Joseph Dennis, Samantha Green.

Jennifer Matsui Jennifer Matsui

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Bader Award 2017 finalist Jennifer Matsui delivers her presentation “Photoredox-Mediated Dual Catalysis and Metal-Free C-H Alkylation.”
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Audience members look on during presentations at the Bader Student Chemistry Symposium Sept. 7, 2017, in Darmstadt, Germany.
Keita Tanaka Keita Tanaka

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Bader Award 2017 finalist Keita Tanaka shows his depth of research in his presentation “Remote C-H Functionalization with Bifunctional Template.”
Klaus Urbahns Klaus Urbahns

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Klaus Urbahns, head of discovery technologies in the biopharma business, illustrates the enormous difficulty of drug discovery during the Bader Award 2017.
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Awardees

Year Name University
2021 Isabelle Leibler Princeton University
  Mauro Mato ICIQ Institute of Chemical Research at Catalonia
  Rachel Knapp UCLA
  Rui Zhang University of Chicago
2019 Michael Crocker Vanderbilt University
  Lucas Hernandez University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
  Joseph Dennis MIT
  Samantha Green The Scripps Research Institute
2018 Jake Ludwig University of Michigan
  Gabriel J. Lovinger Boston College
  Tim Gatzenmeier Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr
  Hiroki Sato University of Texas at Austin
2017 Thomas Andrew McTeague (grand prize) Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  Robynne K. Neff University of Texas at San Antonio
  Jennifer Keiko Matsui University of Pennsylvania
  Keita Tanaka Scripps Research Institute
2016 Anthony Grillo University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
  Xiaoshen Ma Yale University
  Matthew Nielson Princeton University
  Julian West Princeton University
  Chi Zhang Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  Raktim Roy Yale University
2015 Nian Liu University of Chicago
  Chengliang Zhu Georgia State University
  Hai Dao Scripps Research Institute
  Anton Toutov California Institute of Technology
  Mingshou Zeng Yale University
  David Kamber University of California - Irvine
2014 Jian He Scripps Research Institute
  Han Xiao Scripps Research Institute
  Sandra King Yale University
  Alison Wendlandt Univerisity of Wisconsin - Madison
  Rana Kashif Khan Boston College
  Sandra DePorter Colorado State University
  Christopher Rasik Indiana University
  Eric Welin Princeton University