2026 Q-ACS Gala - Chemists Helping Others: Celebrating Leadership in the Community

On May 8th, we hosted our 2026 Gala honouring the legacy of Alfred Bader and celebrating leadership in the chemical community. Surrounded by many of the field’s brightest minds, the evening was both inspiring and thought-provoking, particularly during our panel discussion. We extend our sincere thanks to Dr. Alex Brown, Dr. Rigoberto Hernandez, Dr. Gilles Peslherbe, and Dr. Cecile Malardier-Jugroot for sharing their valuable perspectives on leadership, collaboration, and building a career in the chemical sciences. 

We also had the opportunity to recognize outstanding students in the chemical sciences through the ACS Undergraduate Award for Excellence in Chemical Safety, the ACS Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Recognition Program, and the Q-ACS Excellence Awards. Congratulations to Jack Dukart, Joshua Kofsky, Dr. Lenka Vitková, Dr. Shideh Ahmadi, Fatemeh Sadat Arghava, Dr. Kumar Siddhant, Chloe Graham, Nicole Kasekende, Duke D’Amato, Dr. Jess Deng, Gaia Rota, and Dr. Ahmadreza Hezamzadeh. Your dedication, hard work, and contributions to the chemical sciences are truly commendable. 

Congratulations are also in order for our Vice President, Dr. Rachel Korchinsky, whose unending dedication and tireless work were recognized by her receipt of the Q-ACS Executive Award for Excellence in Leadership and Service. 

Finally, we would like to thank Queen’s Event Services and AMS StuCons for their exceptional organization and support throughout the event. We are also deeply grateful to the Q-ACS team and everyone who worked behind the scenes to make this celebration of Alfred Bader’s legacy and the broader chemical sciences community such a success. 

Photo Credits: Eric Brousseau and Jackie Li