2026 Seaborg Symposium Speakers

About Richard B. Kaner

Richard Kaner was born and raised in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, a town of 13,000 located on the shores of Lake Michigan. He began his academic journey at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he joined the solid-state chemistry laboratory of Professor Aaron Wold shortly after arriving on campus. By the end of his freshman year, Ric had already published his first scientific paper, earning first authorship for successfully growing the world’s first single crystals of iridium diphosphide. After publishing two additional papers during his undergraduate years, he pursued his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania.

At Penn, Ric worked under the guidance of Professors Alan MacDiarmid and Alan Heeger on polyacetylene, the first known conducting polymer. His doctoral research focused on the electrochemistry of polyacetylene and contributed to the development of the first conducting polymer batteries. MacDiarmid and Heeger, along with Hideki Shirakawa, were later awarded the 2000 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their pioneering work in this field.

Following his Ph.D. in 1984, Ric conducted postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley with Professor Neil Bartlett. There, he explored novel graphite materials substituted with boron and/or nitrogen.

Ric joined the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1987 in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. He earned tenure in 1991, became a full professor in 1993, and was named a Distinguished Professor in 2012. In 2017, he was appointed to the Dr. Myung Ki Hong Endowed Chair in Materials Innovation. Ric also holds a joint appointment in the UCLA Department of Materials Science & Engineering.

An internationally recognized leader in materials science, Ric has published more than 500 peer-reviewed articles and holds 94 U.S. patents. His research has garnered over 100,000 citations, placing him among the world’s most highly cited scientists according to Clarivate Analytics.

Ric’s honors include fellowships from the Dreyfus, Fulbright, Guggenheim, Packard, and Sloan Foundations, as well as prestigious awards such as the Materials Research Society Medal, the Royal Society of Chemistry Centenary Prize, the Qian Baojun International Fiber Award, and the Chemical Pioneer Award from the American Institute of Chemists. He has also received the Fred Basolo Medal and multiple American Chemical Society awards, including the Buck-Whitney Research Award, the Tolman Medal, the Chemistry of Materials Award, and the Applied Polymer Science Award. His groundbreaking work spans refractory materials, novel ceramic synthesis, intercalation compounds, superhard metals, graphene, and conducting polymers.

He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Physical Society (APS), the Materials Research Society (MRS), the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC), the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the European Academy of Sciences (EurASc), and the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.

In addition to his academic achievements, Ric has successfully translated his research into industry. He is the founder of four technology companies:

• Nanotech Energy, which develops nonflammable graphene-based lithium-ion batteries;
• SILQ Technologies, offering surface treatments that reduce hospital-acquired infections in medical devices;
• SuperMetalix, a leader in producing superhard metals for cutting and polishing applications;
• PolyCera, Inc., a membrane technology company (acquired by PSP.US) that produces advanced filtration systems for oil-water separations, including applications in hydraulic fracturing cleanup.

About the Glenn T. Seaborg Medal

The Glenn T. Seaborg Medal was established in 1987 by the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry to honor individuals for their significant contributions to chemistry and biochemistry. The medal is awarded annually. The recipient is chosen by the UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Executive Committee. Dr. Seaborg’s life, work and contributions are best characterized by one word – excellence.

To learn more, please read Dr. Seaborg’s biography. For a list of previous Seaborg Medal recipients please visit the previous recipients webpage.