ADVINCULA INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

This major symposium is in honor of the distinguished work, career, and lifetime achievements of Prof. Rigoberto C. Advincula, an eminent scientist in polymer chemistry and materials. He is a Governor’s Chair Professor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee. He is also the Group Leader of the Macromolecular Nanomaterials Group at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at ORNL.

He is an internationally renowned and eminent scientist in polymers and materials, with over 650 publications cited over 28,000 times and an H-index of 87. He holds 15 patents related to thin films, nanomaterials, and supramolecular initiators. Prof. Advincula and his group have contributed immensely to polymer and nanomaterials research over the last two decades. His significant scientific contributions are (1) on the synthesis, phenomena, and nanostructuring of polymers and ultrathin films, including polyelectrolyte multilayers and grafted polymer brushes. He has demonstrated consistently novel surface analytical spectroscopic, microscopic, and electrochemical characterization methods, (2) nanocomposites of graphene and graphene-oxide-based nanomaterials for anti-corrosion and anti-microbial coatings additives, (3) applications of stimuli-responsive phenomena and nanostructured dendrimers and hybrid nanoparticles, (4) electrochemically polymerized and sensor functional coatings by molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) methods, and (5) novel polymer compositions and methods in 3D/4D Printing.

His most important current work is the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) workflows in materials research, with the development of self-driving laboratories (SDLs) tied to data analytics. The importance of high-throughput experimentation (HTE) using autonomous SDLs will be key to unlocking discovery science and rapid optimization of industrially relevant research. Large language models (LLMs) and agentic AI will enable better hypothesis-driven research and faster correlation of structure-composition-property (SCP) in materials. An important theme of his research going forward is how to grow and democratize AI/ML workflows on materials research, taking advantage of the new tools for science discovery. Because of his many areas of expertise, he has been a well-sought-after invited and plenary speaker at several international conferences, including PPC 18, Pacifichem 2015 and 2025, IUPAC-Macro 2014, Macromex 2020, and the Waterborne Symposium 2015, totaling almost 700 presentations over his lifetime.

He has many awards and distinctions in the last 25 years. This year, he received the George Stafford Whitby Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS) Rubber Division. Last year, he became a Fellow of the Materials Research Society. A most impressive award in 2024 is the International Prize of the Society of Polymer Science of Japan (SPSJ). He became a National Academy of Inventors Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Bioengineering (AIMBE) Fellow, and Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Manufacturing (IOM3) Fellow, North American Thermal Analysis Fellow (2023). He is a Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), a Fellow of the Polymer Chemistry (POLY) Division, a Fellow of the Polymer Materials Science and Engineering (PMSE) Division of the ACS, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC). He was co-president of the Pacific Polymer Federation (PPF), a federation of polymer societies. He was a Herman Mark Scholar Awardee (POLY) in 2013 and the recipient of the Arthur Doolittle Award in 2003. International distinctions include a COE Visiting Professor Appointment at Waseda University in Japan and a Visiting Professor at the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT). He has received the Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellowship in Germany.

He was also the Past Chair of the Polymer Chemistry Division (ACS) - 2015. He is a member of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Advanced Materials Council. He is a member of the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (BCST) Board. He has been a past Editor and Advisory Board member in several journals: Reactive and Functional Polymers, Macromolecules, Chemistry of Materials, Polymer Reviews, Macromolecular Chemistry of Physics, and others. He is currently the editor-in-chief of MRS Communications of the Materials Research Society (MRS) and a Wiley Polymer Scientific Advisory Board member.

He received his Ph.D.in Chemistry from the University of Florida and conducted postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Germany and Stanford University. Since then, he has held professorships at several universities, most recently at Case Western Reserve University, before moving to ORNL and UTK. He obtained his B.S. in Chemistry degree from the University of the Philippines.

As Past Chair of the POLY Division and a long-time member of the executive committee, he led many initiatives that benefited the community. He is a long-standing leader of the Division’s International Committee. As co-president of the PPF, he leads the organization of the Pacific Polymer Conference (PPC-18), a Mexico-US-organized event. As a long-time co-organizer with Macromex and a member of the IUPAC polymer education committee, he has shown initiatives and has also been invited as a speaker (IUPAC Macro, PPC, Pacifichem, ACS, NanoKorea, PAT Conference, and MRS). Besides the ACS and IUPAC, he has taken leadership positions with the MRS and the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE). He has organized workshops for the National Science Foundation (NSF). He has been invited to the Keck Futures Initiative with the National Academy of Science (NAS), National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and Institute of Medicine. He is a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Philippines, and past President of the Philippine American Academy of Science and Engineering (PAASE).

He has been very active in the past, reaching out to industry and beyond the academic world, resulting in successful collaborations with companies. He has collaborated with and trained chemists and scientists from these companies in the field of sophisticated coatings chemistry and polymers. His knowledge of cutting-edge polymer science and its applications in the area of polymer coatings, in particular, is highly sought out by the industry: (1) coatings with anti-static and anti-reflection properties based on the use of CNT and graphene, (2) superhydrophobic and non-wetting behavior in transparent and oxide surfaces, (3) electropolymerized and conjugated polymer layers for controlled patterning and hole-transport behavior in solid-state devices, and (4) development of new anti-corrosion additive materials and novel testing protocols using electrochemical and optical methods. Based on his accomplishments, he is not afraid to venture into new and emerging technologies. He consistently establishes the essential scientific platforms on which these technologies can take root and be sought after by industry. More recently, over the last 5 years, he has led frontier research on stimuli-responsive materials and polymers for 3D printing – converging macromolecular design with geometric complexity in CAD models.

Mentoring future scientists and researchers is an essential mission for Prof. Advincula, who has been in academia since 1997. He has had many mentoring accomplishments, including 44 Ph.D. graduates, 42 MS/graduate students, 16 Post-Doctoral Scholars, 250 undergraduates, and 80 local high school students working in his laboratory. More than 30% are members of underrepresented groups in the STEM fields. He has hosted and mentored many international scholars, visiting Professors, and students as visiting scholars (45). Some of his Ph.D. graduates are in industry, and some have pursued academic leadership positions here and abroad. In 2010, he received the University of Houston Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award. In 2022, he received the Lifetime Distinguished Achievement Award from his alma mater, the University of the Philippines, in recognition of his contributions to the profession and his achievements as an individual in giving back to the community.

ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS

A roundtable discussion open to everyone interested will be held during the symposium. This will allow high-level representatives of various industries, technologies, and academic disciplines to discuss and debate freely, without reservations, all topics of this symposium and identify possible research and development pathways towards a future industry with increased sustainability.

You are cordially invited to actively participate in this symposium by submitting and presenting a paper, or by attending the round table. We look forward to meeting you at this world class symposium.