Each year, the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) honours individuals whose groundbreaking research, innovation, and leadership are shaping the future of chemical engineering in Canada and beyond. The 2025 award recipients embody the creativity and technical excellence that define the profession, driving advances that bridge laboratory research with global impact.
Among this year’s distinguished honourees are Dr. Cao Thang Dinh, recipient of the CSChE Lectureship Award, and Dr. Giovanniantonio Natale, recipient of the CSChE Bao and Zhu Innovation Award. Their research reflects the Society’s mission to foster collaboration, accelerate discovery, and promote transformative solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from decarbonization to nanotechnology-enabled drug delivery.
Pioneering a Low-Carbon Future: Dr. Cao Thang Dinh
For Dr. Cao Thang Dinh, Associate Professor and researcher in electrochemical engineering, tackling climate change begins at the molecular level. His work focuses on converting carbon dioxide into fuels and chemicals using renewable electricity an approach that could play a pivotal role in decarbonizing global energy and manufacturing systems.
“Our overarching goal is to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy and enable the production of low-carbon-footprint products,” Dr. Dinh explains. “We’re developing novel electrocatalysts, innovative electrode architectures, optimized cell configurations, and refined operating protocols that enhance performance and durability in CO₂ conversion systems.”
His team’s research has led to several landmark breakthroughs. In 2018, Dr. Dinh co-authored a Science paper describing polymer-based gas diffusion electrodes with exceptional stability for CO₂ conversion. Two years later, his group designed catalyst layers capable of producing ethylene and ethanol from CO₂ at unprecedented rates. Most recently, in Nature Energy (2025), Dinh introduced a revolutionary concept: self-renewing catalysts that can dissolve and reform during operation, greatly extending the system’s lifespan and reducing material waste.
These innovations move the field closer to scalable, sustainable solutions for carbon capture and utilization.
Dr. Dinh learned about his Lectureship Award through the CIC website, a moment he describes as both surprising and gratifying. He has been an active Member-at-Large for the CIC Catalysis Division since 2022, contributing to the community that supports Canada’s growing leadership in clean energy technologies.
Redefining Fluid Dynamics: Dr. Giovanniantonio Natale
Innovation, at its core, often emerges from reimagining how we understand the world around us. For Dr. Giovanniantonio Natale, that means transforming the study of fluid mechanics by venturing into the dynamic, microscopic world of active colloids—tiny, self-propelling particles that mimic the motion of living systems.
As a professor of Chemical Engineering and recipient of the Bao and Zhu Innovation Award, Dr. Natale’s research explores how these particles move through and interact with complex, viscoelastic materials such as polymers and biological fluids. His team’s novel, scalable synthesis method for Janus particles named for their dual-faced structure has enabled scientists to systematically study their motion and design particles that can adapt to challenging environments.
By developing a predictive framework for how these active colloids behave, Dr. Natale and his team uncovered new mechanisms of motion, including “hopping” behavior that allows particles to navigate dense polymer networks. This discovery has far-reaching implications for drug delivery, biomedical engineering, and environmental remediation, where precision movement and targeted response are crucial.
“The scalable synthesis method we developed allows us to produce these nanoparticles at large scale,” Dr. Natale explained.
Although Dr. Natale admits he has not been deeply involved in CIC activities beyond participating in CSChE conferences, he says the recognition is deeply meaningful. “I believe I received the call for nominations by email,” he recalls. “To be selected for this award by peers in my field is an incredible honour.”
Recognizing and Inspiring Excellence
Both Dr. Dinh and Dr. Natale exemplify the scientific creativity and collaborative spirit that define the Canadian chemical engineering community. Their work spans disciplines merging chemistry, physics, and engineering to solve complex problems and serves as an inspiration to researchers and students alike.
The CSChE Awards program celebrates such achievements each year, shining a spotlight on individuals whose innovations have advanced chemical engineering practice, research, and education across Canada and internationally.
Call for Nominations: x2026 Awards
Do you know someone whose work is shaping the future of chemical engineering? The x2026 Awards are now open for nominations. Members are encouraged to recognize their peers by submitting candidates who demonstrate leadership, creativity, and lasting impact in the field.