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 2025 winner of the Canadian Light Source T. K. Sham Award in Materials Chemistry is:
Arthur Mar, MCIC
University of Alberta
Arthur Mar received his B.Sc. in 1988 from the University of British Columbia and his Ph.D. in 1992 from Northwestern University in the laboratory of James A. Ibers. He was an NSERC postdoctoral fellow at the Institut des Matériaux de Nantes and a visiting researcher at the University of Münster. He joined the University of Alberta in 1994 and has been Professor of Chemistry since 2004. His research program focuses on discovering inorganic materials (Zintl phases, intermetallics, pnictides, chalcogenides) and determining how structure, bonding, and physical properties are related. His contributions impact fundamental understanding (bonding motifs in compounds of heavy p-block elements, negative oxidation states of metals) and practical applications (thermoelectric, magnetic, and optical materials). He led early efforts to apply machine-learning approaches to guide materials discovery, especially to predict crystal structures. He has served on editorial boards for Chemistry of Materials, Journal of Solid State Chemistry, and Acta Crystallographica. He was the chair of the 2024 Solid State Chemistry Gordon Research Conference. He has been a longstanding coordinator for first-year university chemistry courses and has received many teaching awards. He has mentored many students who have pursued successful careers in materials science.