About the award
Established in 2005 as the Alfred R. Bader Award for Student Innovation, this award continues the legacy of Alfred R. Bader, co-founder of Aldrich Chemical Company. Following a series of mergers, this company transitioned into Sigma-Aldrich, which now a part of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Bader’s contributions were instrumental in our evolution into the vibrant global science and technology company we are today.
How does it work?
Submit your application for the Bader Award 2025 for a chance to win $5,000 and present your research at the Chemistry Innovation Symposium.
Eligibility:
- To be eligible, a participant must be enrolled as a graduate student, with no degree conferred before August 31, 2025. Please refer to the Terms & Conditions for more information on eligibility.
Application process:
- Submit your application at ResearchGrantsandChallenges.com.
- Complete the online registration form and accept the Terms & Conditions.
- Submit a project description including background, important results, your individual contribution to the project as well as the impact you expect this to have on chemistry.
- Submit your CV.
- Application Deadline: August 31, 2025.
- Chemistry Innovation Symposium: Winners present their research on November 11, 2025.
Awardees
| Year | Name | University |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Priyavrat Vashisth | University of Mississippi , Tanner Group , USA |
| Veronica Pereira | Nanyang Technological University , Lee group, Singapore | |
| Julian Löffler | Ruhr-Universitat-Bochum , Gessner Group , Germany | |
| 2023 | Shivaani Gandhi | Princeton University, USA |
| Jonas Goebel | Ruhr Universität Bochum, Germany | |
| 2021 | Isabelle Leibler | Princeton University, USA |
| Mauro Mato | ICIQ Institute of Chemical Research at Catalonia, Spain | |
| Rachel Knapp | UCLA, USA | |
| Rui Zhang | University of Chicago, USA | |
| 2019 | Michael Crocker | Vanderbilt University, USA |
| Lucas Hernandez | University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA | |
| Joseph Dennis | MIT, USA | |
| Samantha Green | The Scripps Research Institute, USA | |
| 2018 | Jake Ludwig | University of Michigan, USA |
| Gabriel J. Lovinger | Boston College, USA | |
| Tim Gatzenmeier | Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany | |
| Hiroki Sato | University of Texas at Austin, USA | |
| 2017 | Thomas Andrew McTeague (grand prize) | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA |
| Robynne K. Neff | University of Texas at San Antonio, USA | |
| Jennifer Keiko Matsui | University of Pennsylvania, USA | |
| Keita Tanaka | Scripps Research Institute, USA | |
| 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 |
Honoring innovation in chemistry
Opportunities for graduate students
Are you a trailblazer in the world of science, with a passion for innovation and a vision of a more sustainable future? By bringing together the brightest young minds in chemistry, we hope to spark new ideas and inspire visionaries to continue pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in science.
Links
Downloads and links
| Link to online registration form | ResearchGrantsandChallenges.com |
|---|---|
| Terms & Conditions | download |