Joseph S. Francisco, the President’s Distinguished Professor of Earth and Environmental Science and a professor of chemistry in the School of Arts & Sciences, has received the 2025 Pauling Award in recognition of his pioneering studies of the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere. His groundbreaking research reshaped scientific understanding of atmospheric processes, including pioneering air-water/microdroplet chemistry.

The Pauling Medal Award recognizes outstanding achievement in chemistry and is presented annually by the Puget Sound, Oregon, and Portland Sections of the American Chemical Society. The award is named after Linus Pauling, a native of the Pacific Northwest and a giant of 20th-century chemistry.