Geoffrey Coates, the Tisch University Professor of chemistry and chemical biology in the College of Arts and Sciences, has won the 2022 Eni Award for Advanced Environmental Solutions for his innovations in sustainable materials, including “benign polymers” and renewable resources.

Credit: Jason Koski/Cornell University

A global prize in the fields of energy and the environment, the 2022 Eni Awards will be presented by Italian president Sergio Mattarella in Rome this fall.

Coates develops sustainable ways of making and recycling plastics. In recent research, the Coates Group has discovered ways to manufacture chemically recyclable plastics, mechanically recyclable plastics, photodegradable plastics, and biodegradable plastics from renewable raw materials.

“Society’s heavy reliance on plastics and other synthetic polymers strains ecosystems and the environment. Professor Geoff Coates is addressing those critical problems by developing more sustainable materials,” said Ray Jayawardhana, the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “His innovations exemplify the bold, far-reaching and impactful research efforts in the College of Arts and Sciences that ensure Cornell’s leadership in tackling urgent global challenges.”

Read the full story on the College of Arts and Sciences website.