Editorial announcement: The 2007 SPSJ International Award of the Society of Polymer Science, Japan for Virgil Percec (2008)

The Editors of the Journal of Polymer Science, Part A: Polymer Chemistry proudly announce that Professor Virgil Percec of the Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania has received the 2007 International Award of The Society of Polymer Science, Japan (SPSJ). This award is to recognize, with the highest honor, one or two international colleagues a year for merit in polymer science and technology and for service to international activities. This year the Award was presented to Professor Percec by Professor Hiroyuki Nishide, President of SPSJ, on May 29, 2008 at an award ceremony during the 57th SPSJ Annual Meeting in Yokohama. At the award ceremony, the recipient was invited to join the Presidential Award Luncheon and give a speech at the Banquet on behalf of the overseas guests. Professor Percec received a B.S. degree in 1969 from the Department of Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry, Polytechnic Institute of Jassy and a Ph.D. degree in 1976 from the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Jassy, Romania. In 1981 he defected from his native country and moved to the United States after a short postdoctoral stay at the University of Freiburg, Germany. In the United States, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Polymer Science, University of Akron, OH, and in 1982 he joined the faculty of the Department of Macromolecular Science, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH. There he was promoted to Associate Professor in 1984, to Professor in 1986, and to Leonard Case Jr. Chair and Professor in 1993. In 1999 Virgil was invited to the Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA to be P. Roy Vagelos Chair and Professor of Chemistry. With as many as 599 original reviewed publications, 11 edited books, and 46 patents, his research encompasses a wide-range of interdisciplinary fields from organic and supramolecular chemistry to catalysis and to polymer science, particularly directed to programmable macromolecules and complex bio-inspired functional systems. While at Case Western Reserve University, he initiated a systematic study on side-chain liquid crystalline polymers, starting with metathesis polymerization of acetylenes, followed by development of nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions, self-terminating polymerization toward truly uniform macromolecules, versatile sulfonyl chloride initiators for metal-mediated living radical polymerization, and super active metal-nonmetal catalytic systems therein. In parallel to these, his famous work in supramolecular science and self-assembled functional materials has been extraordinarily prolific, culminating in extensive libraries of self-assembling dendrons and their helical and globular supramolecules and superlattices many of which exhibit advanced functions such as ion channels, molecular machines, antibacterial agents, slow-release drug-delivery capsules, sensors, enzyme-mimic catalysts, and chirality-regulating systems. These achievements have led to numerous awards and about 1000 plenary, invited and endowed lectures. His recognitions include: National Science Foundation Research Awards for Creativity in Research (1990, 1995, and 2000), Humboldt Award for Senior U.S. Scientists, Germany (1997), PTN Polymer Award from the Netherlands (2002), ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry (2004), Staudinger-Durrer Medal, ETH, Zurich, Switzerland, (2005), Dr. Honoris Causa from the University of Iasi, Iasi, Romania and University of Athens, Greece (both in 2007). Later this year he will also receive the Herman F. Mark Medal in Vienna, Austria (2008). His endowed lectures include: the 4th Aggarwal Lecturer in Polymer Science, Cornell University, NY (1997), the 9th Ralph Milkovich Memorial Lecturer in Polymer Science, University of Akron, OH (1997), the First Woodward Lecturer “Frontiers in Chemical Sciences,” Harvard University, MA (2004) and the 7th Rohm and Haas Lecture in Polymer Science at University of California, Berkeley (2005). Serving as member of the editorial board of 20 journals, Professor Percec has also been very active and innovative as Editor of the Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry, bringing highly cited highlight articles, graphical abstracts, and front covers, not to mention dramatically enhancing the impact factor which now exceeds 3.5, ranking the Journal within the top five in the Polymer category. We Editors sincerely appreciate his never-tiring efforts and contribution to polymer science and to the Journal, and extend our sincere congratulations to Virgil on his receiving the SPSJ Award!