Professor Thuc-Quyen Nguyen receives double honors for her work on organic photovoltaics
Society needs novel materials to overcome challenges like pollution, climate change and poverty. Chemist Thuc-Quyen Nguyen aims to deliver, and her efforts have been noticed.
(UC Santa Barbabra): Nguyen, a professor in UC Santa Barbara’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been honored with the de Gennes Prize by the Royal Society of Chemistry. The society cited her “seminal contributions to the development of organic semiconducting materials and device physics of organic photovoltaics to mitigate climate change.” The award comes with a grant and an invitation to speak at universities across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Nguyen has also been awarded the Wilhelm Exner Medal by the Wilhelm Exner Foundation of the Austrian Trade Association. The distinction recognizes an individual whose discoveries have “directly or indirectly promoted the economy in an outstanding way.”
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“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the Exner Medal from the Exner Foundation and the De Gennes Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry,” said Nguyen, director of the campus’s Center for Polymers and Organic Solids. “These honors mark an exciting career milestone not only for me, but for my entire research team. I sincerely thank the nominators and the Exner Foundation and the Royal Society of Chemistry for the recognition. I am grateful for the support from UCSB, colleagues and collaborators.”
The honors are more than academic for Nguyen. “I grew up in villages in Vietnam,” she said, “that lacked all basic needs such as clean water, electricity, food.” She immigrated to the United States with her family at age 21 with only a few words of English and no money. But every setback and hurdle motivated her to try harder. “These honors are not only for me, but also for many women — especially those in Vietnam and developing countries — whose education or career dreams were shattered by life challenges.” She hopes that her story helps inspire young students, especially those from developing countries.
“Honors come with responsibilities,” she continued. “I am grateful for the recognition and opportunity, and I look forward to working with other members of the Exner Foundation and the RSC to make meaningful and impactful changes to the global scientific community and to society.”