Jan Genzer Selected to Receive the 2023 SPSJ International Award

Dr. Jan Genzer and Dr. Kirill Efimenko (r) look at sample of a wrinkled surface that keeps barnacles from attaching to ships' hulls.

Professor Jan Genzer
Professor Jan Genzer

Professor Jan Genzer has been selected to receive the 2023 International Award from the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (SPSJ).

The SPSJ, a non-profit organization, is mainly composed of polymer scientists, engineers and managers in academia, industries and governmental institutions.  Its primary roll is to contribute to the development of polymer science and technology in Japan and the world.

The Society of Polymer Science, Japan International Award
International Award of the SPSJ

The International Award was established “to honor the merits of international contributors to the SPSJ. This award has been given to foreign polymeric scientists and others, who have contributed to the field of basic and applied sciences of polymer science and engineering for many years and have remarkable accomplishment of exchanges with Japan.”

Prof. Genzer is an S. Frank & Doris Culberson Distinguished Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and has served as the CBE Associate Department Head since 2007. Known for his exceptional efforts mentoring graduate students in research, for helping to develop the CBE graduate curriculum and our online M.S. degree program, and for leading interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary efforts on behalf of the department, he epitomizes the teacher/scholar ideal.

Originally from the (now) Czech Republic, Prof. Genzer earned his Dipl. Ing. in Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at the Prague University of Chemistry and Technology and his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. His research interests include materials self-assembly and directed assembly, and the behavior of polymers at surfaces, interfaces, and in confined geometries.

Genzer is a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS), a recipient of the society’s John H. Dillon Medal and the recipient of a National Science Special Creativity Award.

At NCSU, he is a recipient of the Sigma Xi Research Award, the Alumni Association Outstanding Teacher Award, the Alumni Association Outstanding Research Award, the Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professorship Award and the Alcoa Foundation Distinguished Engineering Research Award.

He is also the recipient of an R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research, and Extension, which recognizes a career of excellence in scientific and educational achievements and is the most prestigious award the College of Engineering bestows upon a faculty member.

Congratulations to Professor Jan Genzer for your accomplishments and the SPSJ International Award!