PhD thesis award for Jiarong Wu at MASC 2025
01/22/2026The MASC Group PhD Thesis Award 2025 of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) went to Jiarong Wu, who obtained her PhD from the Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy in Würzburg, Germany. A novelty in the history of this prestigious award.
The PhD Thesis Award of the Macrocyclic and Supramolecular Chemistry (MASC) Group is the RSC's most prestigious award that a PhD student working in supramolecular chemistry can receive. Established in 2014, it is typically awarded to a top PhD student working at a UK institution. Many of the former awardees have continued a productive career in academia, receiving tenured faculty positions. However, in an unprecedented move, the prize was awarded this year to a PhD student outside of the UK.
Despite being based in Würzburg, Jiarong, an MSc graduate student from Imperial College in London, was able to demonstrate a strong connection to the RSC’s MASC community. Having attended two MASC conferences previously (Birmingham and York) where she was awarded poster and talk prizes, the PhD thesis award finishes the set. The award was presented to her at the MASC meeting in Milton Keynes in December 2025 following her award lecture.
This award for outstanding scientific achievements highlights the far-reaching impact of the work being carried out by PhD students within the faculty. We congratulate Jiarong on her outstanding achievements.
