Joseph Francisco, the President’s Distinguished Professor of Earth & Environmental Science in the School of Arts & Sciences,  has been awarded the Pauling Medal in honor of his groundbreaking work into the chemistry of Earth’s atmosphere. Awarded by the American Chemical Society Puget Sound Section (ACSPSS), the annual medal recognizes major achievements in the field of chemistry broadly.

In a statement, ACSPSS praised Dr. Francisco’s “pioneering studies” that have reshaped “our fundamental understanding of atmospheric processes, including pioneering air-water/microdroplet chemistry.” The medal will be formally awarded at the Pauling Medal Award Symposium on October 18 at Seattle University.

Dr. Francisco, who also has an appointment in the chemistry department, served as ACS president from 2009 to 2010 and is a leading voice in the fields of atmospheric chemistry and chemical kinetics. He is co-author of the fundamental textbook in chemical kinetics and dynamics, Chemical Kinetics and Dynamics, published in 1998.