CSW 2017 President Jason E. Schaff presents Dr. Zakya H. Kafafi with the 2017 Hillebrand Prize on March 29, 2018

The Hillebrand Prize — named for William F. Hillebrand (1853-1925), one of Washington’s most distinguished chemists — is awarded for original contributions to the science of chemistry by member(s) of CSW.

Dr. Kafafi received this award in recognition of her pioneering contributions to organic optics and electronics technologies through innovative physical chemistry and materials chemistry research. Dr. Kafafi is an internationally recognized leader in the chemistry of materials for organic photonics and electronics. Over her long and distinguished career, Dr. Kafafi has served at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory where she rose to the rank of Head of the Organic Optoelectronics Section. She has also been the Director of the Division of Materials Research at the National Science Foundation. Also she has been a visiting/adjunct professor at Rice University, The Catholic University, the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Lehigh University (current). Dr. Kafafi is a Fellow of the Materials Research Society, AAAS, the Optical Society of America, and the International Society of Optics and Electronics.