UC Santa Barbara doctoral student Elizabeth Murphy, who pursues research in the area of materials chemistry, has won the prestigious 2025 Henkel Award for Outstanding Graduate Research in Polymer Science & Engineering. The accolade, which Murphy received on February 21, a week before her PhD defense, acknowledges her exceptional work in developing a versatile strategy to accelerate the discovery of block copolymers. 

Describing the recognition as an honor, she said, “Receiving this award is a profound affirmation of the dedication, the hard work, and the impact of my graduate research. It is especially meaningful to join the ranks of past recipients who have made significant contributions to polymer science.”

The Henkel Award, presented and sponsored by the Polymer Chemistry (POLY) and Polymer Science, Materials, and Engineering (PMSE) divisions of the American Chemical Society (ACS), includes a commemorative plaque and a $2,000 honorarium. Murphy will also attend the Fall ACS National Meeting in Washington, D.C., where a symposium will be held in her honor, offering a platform to showcase her work in integrating controlled polymerization, chromatographic separation, laboratory automation, and machine learning to discover new block copolymers.

“Elizabeth’s groundbreaking research has accelerated the discovery of novel block copolymers and advanced the development of sustainable materials, for example, polylactic acid (PLA). These biobased, biodegradable thermoplastic polymers are made from renewable resources such as corn starch and are widely used in biodegradable packaging, food containers, and medical implants,” said Craig Hawker, a UCSB distinguished professor in the Departments of Materials, and Chemistry and Biochemistry, and a co-advisor to Murphy. He noted, too, that, in a series of influential journal articles, Murphy has demonstrated the importance of the BioPACIFIC MIP, a National Science Foundation (NSF)–funded Materials Innovation Platform at UCSB, in empowering next-generation researchers and advancing cross-disciplinary innovation and collaboration.

“Elizabeth’s research is fascinating because it sits at the intersection of multiple fields within materials science,” said materials associate professor and Materials Research Laboratory (MRL) associate director Christopher Bates, who was also Murphy’s co-advisor. “What makes her work stand out is not just its interdisciplinary nature, but also her highly collaborative approach. She excelled at working across fields and bringing together different areas of expertise to push the boundaries of materials science, reflecting UCSB’s commitment to collaboration in soft-materials research.”

Murphy is the second MRL-affiliated student to win this prestigious award, the other being Max Robb (PhD, ’14), also from the Hawker group, who received it in 2016. Murphy credits the university’s dynamic research environment, its emphasis on effective scientific communication, and its collaborative culture as key drivers of scientific progress and a boon to her own research.

UCSB’s long-standing collaboration with The Dow Chemical Company has played a pivotal role in shaping Murphy’s career path. The Dow Materials Institute (DowMi) was established at UCSB in 2011, with Hawker as director. Following her graduation, Murphy will begin her professional journey as a Senior Research Specialist at the Dow facility in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, where she will participate in the company’s Research Assignment Program (RAP), a two-year rotational initiative designed to allow scientists to explore various research areas.

Bates also noted that, despite its being a competitor to Dow, with this award, the Henkel Corporation recognized Murphy’s research as truly impactful, demonstrating the respect her work has earned from the broader scientific and industrial community.