The Welch Award in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Robert A. Welch Foundation, based in Houston, Texas, to encourage and recognise basic chemical research for the benefit of mankind. [1] The award, which has been given since 1972, is one of the largest and most prestigious awards in the field of chemistry.[2] Several of its recipients subsequently were awarded the Nobel Prize.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
The award is named in honor of Robert Alonzo Welch, who made a fortune in oil and minerals and had a strong belief in the ability of chemistry to make the world a better place. In his will, Mr. Welch stated: “I have long been impressed with the great possibilities for the betterment of Mankind that lay in the field of research in the domain of Chemistry.” [8] The prize has a value of $500,000.[9]
Source: Welch Foundation
| Year | Recipient | |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Karl August Folkers, The University of Texas at Austin | |
| 1974 | Albert Eschenmoser, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology | |
| 1976 | Neil Bartlett, University of California, Berkeley | |
| 1978 | Edgar Bright Wilson, Harvard University | |
| 1980 | Sune Bergström, Karolinska Institute | |
| 1981 | Paul Doughty Bartlett, Texas Christian University | |
| 1982 | Frank Westheimer, Harvard University | |
| 1983 | Henry Taube, Stanford University | |
| 1984 | Kenneth Pitzer, University of California, Berkeley | |
| 1985 | Duilio Arigoni, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology | |
| 1986 | George C. Pimentel, University of California, Berkeley | |
| 1987 | Harry George Drickamer, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | |
| 1988 | Richard Barry Bernstein, University of California, Los Angeles | |
| 1989 | Norman R. Davidson, California Institute of Technology | |
| 1990 | John D. Roberts, California Institute of Technology | |
| 1990 | William von Eggers Doering, Harvard University | |
| 1991 | Earl R. Stadtman, National Institutes of Health | |
| 1991 | Edwin G. Krebs, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Washington | |
| 1992 | Richard Smalley, Rice University | |
| 1993 | Gilbert Stork, Columbia University | |
| 1994 | Jack Halpern, The University of Chicago | |
| 1994 | F. Albert Cotton, Texas A&M University | |
| 1995 | Jeremy R. Knowles, Harvard University | |
| 1995 | Robert H. Abeles, Brandeis University | |
| 1996 | Koji Nakanishi, Columbia University | |
| 1997 | Ahmed Zewail, California Institute of Technology | |
| 1998 | Pierre Chambon, College de France | |
| 1999 | Richard Zare, Stanford University | |
| 2000 | A. Ian Scott, Texas A&M University | |
| 2000 | Sir Alan R. Battersby, Cambridge University | |
| 2001 | Roger D. Kornberg, Stanford University | |
| 2002 | Harden M. McConnell, Stanford University | |
| 2003 | Ronald Breslow, Columbia University | |
| 2004 | Allen J. Bard, The University of Texas at Austin | |
| 2005 | George M. Whitesides, Harvard University | |
| 2006 | Daniel E. Koshland, Jr., University of California, Berkeley | |
| 2007 | William H. Miller, University of California, Berkeley | |
| 2007 | Noel S. Hush, University of Sydney | |
| 2008 | Alexander Rich, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
| 2009 | Harry B. Gray, California Institute of Technology | |
| 2010 | JoAnne Stubbe, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Christopher T. Walsh, Harvard Medical School | |
| 2011 | John S. Waugh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
| 2012 | David A. Evans, Harvard University | |
| 2013 | Louis E. Brus, Columbia University | |
| 2014 | Robert G. Bergman, University of California, Berkeley | |
| 2015 | Stephen C. Harrison, Harvard Medical School | |
| 2016 | Richard H. Holm, Harvard University; Stephen J. Lippard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology | |
| 2017 | John B. Goodenough, University of Texas at Austin | |
| 2018 | Adriaan Bax, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases | |
| 2019 | Armand Paul Alivisatos, University of California Berkeley; Charles M. Lieber, Harvard University | |
| 2020 | Steven L. McKnight, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | |
| 2021 | Chi-Huey Wong, The Scripps Research Institute | |
| 2022 | Carolyn R. Bertozzi, Stanford University | |
| 2023 | Jacqueline Barton, California Institute of Technology | |
| 2024 | Eric N. Jacobsen, Harvard University |