ACS honors 2026 Heroes of Chemistry

Chicago—On Aug. 25, scientists, researchers, and industry leaders gathered as part of the American Chemical Society Fall 2026 meeting to honor the achievements of the 2026 Heroes of Chemistry. Teams from Corteva Agriscience, Gilead Sciences, Novartis, and Qnity Electronics were inducted into the ACS’s scientific hall of fame. They are now listed alongside other prestigious chemical scientists and engineers who have contributed to the betterment of humankind since 1996.

“Thank you for joining us for a very special celebration,” said Albert Horvath, CEO of the society, noting that this year marks the 30th anniversary of Heroes of Chemistry as ACS celebrates its sesquicentennial.

This year’s scientists are being recognized for creating and enhancing products that support sustainable farming and more sustainable semiconductor manufacturing and that treat COVID-19 and chronic myeloid leukemia.

“I thank each of these companies for fostering cultures that enable scientific discovery, innovation, and commercialization,” said ACS president Rigoberto Hernandez, acknowledging a common thread that often helps lead these heroes to success.

This year’s products are as follows:

Corteva: Pyraxalt

The world consumes millions of metric tons of rice annually; consumption in the US alone has increased over the past 10 years and is projected to continue. The grain, which is a staple food, provides calories, vitamins, and minerals to populations around the globe. Safely protecting it from insects—and other damaging factors—will play a major role in future food security.

Pyraxalt is an insecticide that provides rapid, long-lasting control against one of rice’s most destructive pests: plant hoppers. Using a novel mode of action, it stops pests, even resistant populations, from damaging young crops. The product has shown to increase yields and reduce hazardous raw material use, and it can be applied in a single season.

“At the heart of the story of Pyraxalt, it is not just a story about chemistry. It is the story about people, perseverance, and focus,” said Ashish Batra, vice president of crop health R&D at Corteva. He joked that while the product solves challenges, it was not created without its own challenges, such as scaling. But, he added, “the teams never lost sight of the goal.”

Gilead Sciences: Veklury

Since January 2020, there have been over 3 million deaths from COVID-19 in the Americas and millions more deaths globally, according to the World Health Organization.

Veklury was the first antiviral approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (in October 2020) for the treatment of COVID-19. The drug, which was rapidly developed and scaled, proved to reduce recovery time and risk of hospitalization and death in high-risk patients. In addition to COVID-19, the antiviral demonstrates broad spectrum activity against other pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, SARS, Marburg, and MERS in vitro.

“There was a shared common belief that we all had when we started this program, that antivirals were essential for human health,” said Richard Mackman, vice president of medicinal chemistry at Gilead Sciences. “This program was actually started a decade before the COVID-19 pandemic happened,” he said, adding there was no way to know something like the pandemic would happen when the company began this work. But when it started, “we had the tools in place, we had the people, and the knowledge,” Mackman said. He ended his speech emphasizing that investing in scientific collaboration today is what helps us prepare for future pandemics.

Novartis: Scemblix

Chronic myeloid leukemia, a bone marrow cancer that progresses slowly, affects tens of thousands of people globally each year. Scemblix is a first-in-class allosteric inhibitor that treats the disease by restoring a key protein to its inactive state. The drug is proved to improve molecular response rates, leading to better quality of life. And its reduced toxicity has allowed more patients to remain on therapy, thus helping to enhance the long-term management of the disease.

“Chemistry at its heart is far more than molecules being drawn on a paper,” said Muneto Mogi, global head of global discovery chemistry at Novartis. “It is about people.” Mogi said that through the process of creating Scemblix, the team embodied what chemistry can be: rigorous, creative, and deeply humane.

Qnity Electronics: UV 26GNF photoresist

Semiconductor manufacturing is the foundation of modern electronic devices and technologies such as computers, smartphones, solar cells, and automotive systems. Much of this manufacturing has relied on per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) for their heat-resistant and chemical-stable properties. Recognizing the environmental challenges and impacts of PFAS and regulatory concerns, the industry has been working to move to materials other than PFAS.

UV 26GNF photoresist is a breakthrough in nonfluorine photoresists for semiconductor manufacturing. Qnity has managed to demonstrate the necessary acidity of photoacid generators, which are used to achieve high photosensitivity, without PFAS—advancing sustainability and meeting performance needs.

Randal King, senior vice president and chief technology and sustainability officer at Qnity Electronics, shared an anecdote emphasizing the significance of UV 26GNF photoresist. The team gave a presentation at a major US semiconductor producer, and a manager there expressed astonishment at the impossibility of what the group had accomplished. “Our team was really excited to have done something that was believed not possible.” The scientists impressed leadership everywhere. King cited not only the fundamental science but their use of artificial intelligence–assisted molecular modeling for the success. “I always said, ‘Hey, we helped bring in AI, we should use it,’ ” he said, connecting the breakthrough to the technologies that will ultimately be able to use it.

The ACS Board Committee on Corporation Associates evaluated this year’s applications and selected the winners. Nominations for the 2027 Heroes of Chemistry Awards will open this fall. More information about the awards and nominations can be found online.