Sponsored by Canadian Light Source Inc., CIC Materials Chemistry Division and Western University, Department of Chemistry.
The Canadian Light Source T. K. Sham Award is presented to an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to materials chemistry both in terms of research and mentoring while working in Canada.
View the Terms Reference and list of Past Winners
The 2026 winner of the Canadian Light Source T. K. Sham Award in Materials Chemistry is:
Mark MacLachlan, MCIC
The University of British Columbia
Mark MacLachlan obtained his B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in 1995 and his PhD from the University of Toronto in 1999. After spending two years as an NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT, he joined the Department of Chemistry at UBC in 2001, where is now Professor and Canada Research Chair in Supramolecular Materials. Mark has made significant advances in the field of materials chemistry throughout his career, and especially over the past decade. In particular, he has pioneered new classes of materials based on cellulose nanocrystals, including aerogels for supercapacitor electrodes, aerogels for solar steam generation, hydrogels with tunable mechanical and optical properties, and responsive photonic materials that can be used in chemical and pressure sensing. He has also made substantial advances in the development of nanostructured catalysts for low temperature methane oxidation—an important reaction in the mitigation of this potent greenhouse gas. Mark and his team have also developed novel photonic liquids by manipulating suspensions of graphene oxide. Over his career, he has mentored more than 200 students and postdocs, many of whom have gone onto prestigious positions in academia, industry, government, and other fields.