Ms Jiarong Wu, a recently graduated PhD student from the Greenfield group was awarded the 2025 Macrocyclic and Supramolecular (MASC) PhD thesis prize, presented by the Royal Society of Chemistry. 

This is the RSC’s most prestigious prize 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 prize finishes the set. The prize was presented to Jiarong at this year’s annual MASC meeting following her award lecture.

This is a great achievement and highlights the far-reaching impact of the work being carried out by PhD students within the faculty. We congratulate Jiarong on her achievements.