Aristide Gumyusenge will receive the 2026 PMSE Early Investigator Award

Assistant Professor Aristide Gumyusenge has been selected to receive a 2026 PMSE Early Investigator Award from the American Chemical Society’s Division of Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering.
 
The award recognizes early-career researchers who have made significant contributions to polymer materials science and engineering. Gumyusenge’s research focuses on multi-functional and adaptive conductive polymers and polymer hybrid materials, with applications ranging from wearable electronics to chemical detection.
 
Gumyusenge, the Henry L. Doherty Career Development Professor in Ocean Utilization, is one of 24 researchers worldwide selected for the award. Winners will be honored during the ACS Fall Meeting in Chicago, where they are invited to present their work.
 
“Our Early Investigators represent the future of our Division and our scientific community and the symposium associated with your selection is a highlight of our technical programming,” wrote PMSE Division Chair Jennifer L. Schaefer.
 
Gumyusenge’s recent research includes developing materials for low-cost detectors that continuously monitor toxic gases, as well as test kits to sense and capture PFAS, or “forever chemicals.” His lab has also created organic polymers that convert biological signals into electronic signals, along with stretchable electrodes that could enable next-generation biomedical devices.
 
The PMSE is a professional organization for polymer scientists and engineers within the American Chemical Society. Its members include professors, government researchers, and industry scientists. Also selected this year is DMSE alumna Cécile Chazot PhD ’22 of Northwestern University. Associate Professor Robert Macfarlane received the PMSE Early Investigator Award in 2023.