Two members of the UWindsor Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry are among 92 young professors from around the world recognized as recipients of a 2019 Thieme Chemistry Journal Award.

Simon Rondeau-Gagné and John Trant have been selected for the award by the editorial board of Synlett, Synthesis, and Synfacts, and received their awards on Jan. 4.

“This is a tremendous achievement,” said Dan Mennill, associate dean, graduate studies and research. “The Faculty of Science is proud of both Dr. Rondeau-Gagné and Dr. Trant as well as their achievements.”

Rondeau-Gagné said it is “particularly appreciated and rewarding to be recognized by our peers at the international level, especially at the beginning of our careers.”

The Thieme Chemistry Journal Awards recognize promising early career researchers in organic chemistry and related fields such as inorganic, physical, material, and biological.

The Rondeau-Gagné research group focuses on the development of novel strategies toward electronic materials with innovative properties such as stretchability, self-healing, mechanical compliance, and near-infrared absorption for bioimaging.

Trant’s group focuses on applying the tools of synthetic chemistry to develop new treatments for disease including cancer and autoimmune conditions.

“This is truly an honour,” says Trant. “The list of past winners is very impressive, and we are both grateful to receive this distinction since for the last couple of years there had only ever been at most one Canadian winning each year. To have two recipients in 2019 from the University of Windsor really highlights our institution.”

The complete list of past winners is available at https://www.thieme.de/en/thieme-chemistry/thieme-chemistry-journals-award-107359.htm.

—Darko Milenkovic