Kim Renee Dunbar

The American Chemical Society (ACS) has long served as a respected international organization gathering the top minds in science and chemistry. To honor her outstanding contributions to the field, ACS bestowed their Distinguished Service Award on Kim Renee Dunbar of Texas A&M University. 

Kim Renee Dunbar is a world-renowned scientist and professor at Texas A&M University whose research team has uncovered new, breakthrough applications in inorganic chemistry. Her discoveries, which are applied in labs and facilities around the world, have earned Dunbar many distinctions and top accolades over the years. 

Her work has ultimately helped shape a range of new solutions in fields like medicine and materials. And to honor her achievements in the advancement of inorganic chemistry, Dunbar received the prestigious ACS Distinguished Service Award. The award was established in 1963 through funds from anonymous donors, but after two years Mallinckrodt, Inc. supported the award until 1997 when Strem Chemicals, Inc. assumed its sponsorship. 

“I have been passionate about inorganic chemistry since I was an undergraduate, and I could

not imagine another career,” Kim Renee Dunbar said. “I deeply admire the previous recipients

of the award, all of whom set the bar very high for all of us in inorganic chemistry and inspired

me greatly. I am highly honored to receive this award, and the many excellent students,

postdocs, and coworkers who have contributed to the success of my research program share it

with me.”

Today, the ACS award remains one of the most respected distinctions in chemistry that seeks to acknowledge the work of scientists who have significantly advanced inorganic chemistry.  Kim Renee Dunbar’s and her research team’s findings have benefitted the entire international scientific community, qualifying her to receive the prestigious award. Recipients of the ACS award receive $5,000 and a certificate declaring their achievement in addition to up to $1,000 for travel expenses to and from the award ceremony.

Other rules for eligibility require nominees like Kim Renee Dunbar to demonstrate landmark contributions to the advancement of inorganic chemistry through teaching, writing, research, and the administration of chemistry. Nominees also must be ACS members prior to being nominated. 

“She stands as an exemplary role model for young women who aspire to academic

positions in chemistry,” says Jeffrey R. Long of the University of California, Berkeley,

who is a longtime colleague.

Besides the ACS award, Kim Renee Dunbar has also won a Camille & Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, and fellowships in both the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Institute of Chemists.

Dunbar is also a two-time recipient of the Texas A&M Association of Former Students

Distinguished Achievement Award and the first recipient ever of the Texas A&M Women Former Students’ Network Eminent Scholar Award. She’s taught at and conducted research from Texas A&M University for decades and has earned the institution’s highest academic faculty rank, the Distinguished Professor of Chemistry title.