Richard Kaner

Richard B. Kaner

Distinguished Professor
Dr. Myung Ki Hong Endowed Chair in Materials Innovation
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Biography

Richard B. Kaner received his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania in 1984.  After carrying out postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley, he joined the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in 1987 as an Assistant Professor.  He was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 1991 and became a Full Professor in 1993.  Professor Kaner has received awards from the Dreyfus, Fulbright, Guggenheim, and Sloan Foundations, as well as the Exxon Fellowship in Solid State Chemistry and the Buck−Whitney Research Award from the American Chemical Society for his work on refractory materials, including new synthetic routes to ceramics, intercalation compounds, superhard materials, graphene, and conducting polymers.

Professor Kaner holds a joint appointment in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry as well as in the Department of Materials Science & Engineering.

List of Awards

  • Fred Basolo Medal for Outstanding Research in Inorganic Chemistry (Northwestern University and the Chicago Section of the American Chemical Society) (2025)
  •  Highly Cited Researcher Clarivate Analytics (Cross-Field) (2025)
  • Highly Ranked Scholar – Lifetime by ScholarGPS (233 Worldwide in Chemistry) (2025)
  • Scilit Top Cited Scholar (2024)
  • Excellence in Postdoctoral Mentoring Award Finalist (2024)
  • Highly Ranked Scholar – Lifetime by ScholarGPS (Top 0.05% of Scholars Worldwide in   Chemistry; Physical Sciences and Mathemetics; and All Fields of Scholarly Endeavor (2024)
  • The Timms Lecture University of Bristol (2024)
  • Highly Cited Researcher Clarivate Analytics (Cross-Field) (2023)
  • Top Downloaded Paper Award from Small (2023)
  • American Chemical Society Award in Applied Polymer Science
  • Highly Cited Researcher Clarivate Analytics (Cross-Field) (2022)
  • Consumer Electronics Show Innovation Award for Developing Nanotech Inc. Nonflammable Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolyte (2022)
  • Elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (2021)
  • Highly Cited Researcher Clarivate Analytics (Cross-Field) (2021)
  • Elected Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (2021)
  • Qian Baojun International Fiber Award (Distinguished Achievement) (2021)
  • Top 1% Citation Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry (2020) 
  • Highly Cited Researcher Clarivate Analytics in Materials Science (2020) 
  • Elected Fellow of the American Physical Society (2020) 
  • Top Dowloaded Paper Award from Advanced Materials (2020) 
  • RMIT International Fellow, Melbourne, Australia (2020) 
  • Highly Cited Researcher Clarivate Analytics (Materials Science) (2019)
  • Highly Cited Author Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry (2019)
  • The American Institute of Chemists Chemical Pioneer Award (2019)
  • Suslick-Sessler Lecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2019)
  • Elected Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists (2019)
  • Elected Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences (2018)
  • Highly Cited Researcher Clarivate Analytics (Cross-Field) (2018)
  • Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize (2018)
  • Chemistry Graduate Student Council Invited Speaker, University of Houston (2018)
  • National Science Foundation Creativity Award (2017-2019)
  • Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize (2018)
  • Materials Research Society Medal (2015)
  • ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials (2012)
  • ACS Tolman medal (2010)
  • UCLA Gold Shield Faculty Prize (2002-2004)
  • Eka-Granules Lecturer University of Tasmania
  • Visiting Professor University of Wollongong
  • American Chemical Society Buck Whitney Research Award
  • Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar
  • National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator
  • American Chemical Society Member
  • Electrochemical Society Member
  • Materials Research Bulletin Associate Editor
  • Materials Research Society Member
  • American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
  • Packard Fellow (1989-1994)
  • Australian-American Fulbright Fellow
  • Guggenheim Fellow ; Sloan Fellow
  • American Chemical Society Exxon Fellowship in Solid State Chemistry

Professional Societies

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Associate Editor for Materials Research Bulletin
  • American Chemical Society
  • The Electrochemical Society
  • The Materials Research Society