View the history of Organic Reactions Catalysis Society Conferences
Past ConferencesOur Awards
At the biennial conference, the Paul N. Rylander award, established by ORCS in 1988, and the Murray Raney award, established by ORCS in 1992 and sponsored by Grace Davison, are presented to scientists who have made outstanding contributions in the field of catalysis as it applies to organic synthesis. The Russell Malz Award, also sponsored by ORCS is given to an individual for exceptional services to the Society.
The Robert Augustine Award
The Robert Augustine Award of the Organic Reactions Catalysis Society (ORCS) was initiated by ORCS in 2017 to recognize engineers and scientists early in their careers. It is named after Robert Augustine, who has been a contributing member of ORCS since 1966, now over 52 years.
The Award recipient must be less than 40 years of age at the end of the calendar year in which the Award is presented. Nominations for this Award can be made by any ORCS member at any time to any member of the Executive Committee. The Chair will then poll the Executive Committee as to the acceptability of the nominee. At least three-fourths of the Executive Committee must concur for the award to be granted.
The Award will consist of a $2,000.00 honorarium, an appropriate plaque, and up to $1,500.00 for reasonable travel expenses to attend the ORCS biennial conference to receive the award. The Award will be presented during the ORCS biennial conference. This Award is administered and funded by the Corporation. The Corporation also welcomes funding by companies that benefit by advancements in catalysis. There will be no set time interval in granting of the Award, but it can be given only once every year provided a suitable candidate has been nominated.
The Russell Malz Award
The Russell Malz Award is sponsored by the Society and is bestowed in honor of Mr. Malz’ exceptional service to the Organic Reactions Catalysis Society.
This Award may be granted by the Corporation to an individual who has given exceptional service to the Society. Nominations for this Award can be made by any member at any time to any member of the Executive Committee. At the Chair’s discretion, the Award will consist of up to a $1,000.00 honorarium, an appropriate plaque, and up to $500.00 for reasonable travel expenses to attend the ORCS biennial conference to receive the award.
The Award will be presented during the ORCS biennial conference. This Award is administered by the Corporation and awarded at the discretion of the Chair with concurrence of the Executive Committee. There will be no set time interval in granting of the Award, but it can be given only once every two years.
The Murray Raney Award
In 1992, the Organic Reactions Catalysis Society (ORCS) established the Murray Raney Award, created and proposed by William E. Pascoe and Jefferson D. Herring. The Raney award acknowledges contributions in the use of base metal catalysts in organic synthesis.
This Award may be granted by the Corporation to an individual who has made significant contributions to the development and/or fundamental understanding of the chemistry of base metal heterogeneous catalyst materials, particularly as they are applied to organic chemistry and reactions of interest to the chemical industry.
Nominations for this Award can be made by any member at any time to any member of the Executive Committee. The Awards subcommittee will evaluate the nominations and determine the most deserving candidates. The top candidates will be forwarded to W.R. Grace and Company and to the Executive Committee. At least three-fourths of the Executive Committee must concur that an individual is acceptable for the award. In the case where multiple finalists are acceptable, the awardee will be determined by majority vote of the Executive Committee.
The Award will consist of a $5,000.00 honorarium, an appropriate plaque, and up to $2,000.00 for reasonable travel expenses to attend the ORCS biennial conference to receive the award. This Award is administered by the Corporation and funded by W.R. Grace and Company. There will be no set time interval in granting of the Award, but it can be given only once every two years provided a suitable candidate has been nominated. The Award will be presented during the ORCS biennial conference
The Paul N. Rylander Award
The Paul N. Rylander Award of the Organic Reactions Catalysis Society (ORCS) has been awarded a prize for Catalysis in Organic Chemistry since 1988. It is bestowed in honor of Mr. Rylander’s many significant achievements and includes authoring one of the earliest and most comprehensive books for the safe and effective use of precious metal catalysts for hydrogenation. The book was a means to compile and share best practices among mainly industrial scientists and engineers.
This Award may be granted by the Corporation to an individual who has made significant contributions to chemistry and the chemical industry in the field of catalysis of organic reactions. Nominations for this Award can be made by any ORCS member at any time to any member of the ORCS Executive Committee. The Chair will then poll the Executive Committee as to the acceptability of the nominee. At least three-fourths of the Executive Committee must concur for the award to be granted, and the nominee must also be acceptable to the BASF Group.
The Award consists of a $5,000.00 honorarium, an appropriate plaque, and up to $2,000.00 for reasonable travel expenses to attend the ORCS biennial conference to receive the award.
The Award will be presented during the ORCS biennial conference. This Award is administered by the Corporation and funded by the BASF Group. There will be no set time interval in granting of the Award, but it can be given only once every two years provided a suitable candidate has been nominated.
Past Award Winners
The Organic Reactions Catalysis Society (ORCS) honors award winners at its Biennial Conferences.
PAST AWARD WINNERS | ||||
YEAR |
PAUL N. RYLANDER AWARD |
RANEY
AWARD |
MALZ
AWARD |
AUGUSTINE AWARD |
2018 | Dr. Huw M. L. Davies | Dr. R. V. Chaudhari | Linda Paradiso
Rene Cabirac |
Dr. Yuriy Roman-Leshkov |
2017 | Dr. Ive Hermans | |||
2016 | Dr. Anil S. Guram | Dr. Jens Nørskov | Dr. Gerard V. Smith | |
2015 | Dr. Joseph R. Zoeller | |||
2014 | James White | C. Martin Lok | Alan Allgeier | |
2013 | Johannes de Vries | |||
2012 | Melanie S. Sanford | Michael Prunier | ||
2011 | Thomas A. Puckette | |||
2010 | Matthias Beller | Steve Schmidt | Robert Augustine | |
2009 | Hans-Ulrich Blaser | |||
2008 | John F. Hartwig | Daniel J. Ostgard | Michael Ford | |
2007 | Brian R. James | |||
2006 | Gadi Rothenberg | Isamu Yamauchi | Frank Herkes | |
2005 | Jean-Marie Basset | |||
2004 | Richard C. Larock | Jean Lessard | Victor Mylroie | |
2003 | Donna G. Blackmond | |||
2002 | Jerry R. Ebner | Akira Tai | Russell Malz Jr. | |
2001 | Francis J. Waller | |||
2000 | K. Barry Sharpless | Jozsef Petró | ||
1999 | Thomas A. Johnson | |||
1998 | John F. Knifton | Anatoly Fasman | ||
1997 | Roger A. Sheldon | |||
1996 | William S. Knowles | Mark Wainwright | ||
1995 | Gerard V. Smith | |||
1994 | William M. Pearlman | Pierre Fouilloux | ||
1993 | John R. Kosak | |||
1992 | Harold V. Greenfield | Stewart Montgomery | ||
1990 | Robert L. Augustine | |||
1988 | Paul N. Rylander |
Find more award details or make a nomination for an ORCS award.
View Awards DetailsOUR Board Members
Find your ORCS executive board and committee members.

Robert Rioux
2024 Chair Elect / Penn State
Girish Srinivas
Past Chair / TDA Research
Jiajie Huo
Secretary Treasurer / University of Colorado