Craig Jon Hawker (born 11 January 1964) is an Australian-born chemist. His research has focused on the interface between

organic Organic may refer to: * Organic, of or relating to an organism, a living entity * Organic, of or relating to an anatomical organ Chemistry * Organic matter, matter that has come from a once-living organism, is capable of decay or is the product ...

and

polymer chemistry Polymer chemistry is a sub-discipline of chemistry that focuses on the structures of chemicals, chemical synthesis, and chemical and physical properties of polymers and macromolecules. The principles and methods used within polymer chemistry are ...

, with emphasis on the design, synthesis, and application of well-defined macromolecular structures in

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

microelectronics Microelectronics is a subfield of electronics. As the name suggests, microelectronics relates to the study and manufacture (or microfabrication) of very small electronic designs and components. Usually, but not always, this means micrometre-sc ...

, and

surface science Surface science is the study of physical and chemical phenomena that occur at the interface of two phases, including solid–liquid interfaces, solid–gas interfaces, solid–vacuum interfaces, and liquid–gas interfaces. It includes the fiel ...

. Hawker holds more than 45 U.S.

patents A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

, and he has co-authored over 300 papers in the areas of

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal o ...

, materials science, and

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. He was listed as one of the top 100 most cited chemists worldwide over the decade 1992–2002, and again in 2000–2010. In 2021, Hawker was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

for contributions to polymer chemistry through synthetic organic chemistry concepts and the advancement of molecular engineering principles. He is the director of the California Nanosystems Institute and holds a number of other laboratory directorships at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...

. He was elected a member of the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

in 2022.

Education

Hawker was born in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and attended high school in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

. It was in high school that he developed his interest in chemistry because, as he put it, "it really allowed me to develop things with my hands. Chemistry is a very hands-on science." He studied at the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

and graduated with a Chemistry degree. He worked with Professor

Alan R. Battersby Sir Alan Rushton Battersby (4 March 1925 – 10 February 2018) was an English organic chemist best known for his work to define the chemical intermediates in the biosynthetic pathway to vitamin B12 and the reaction mechanisms of the enzymes invo ...

Cambridge University , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

on his post-graduate studies achieving his PhD in bio-organic chemistry. Hawker then moved to the United States to pursue post-graduate work at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1988.

Research history

In 1990, Hawker returned to Queensland as a Queen Elizabeth II Research fellow at the University of Queensland. From 2004, he was a research staff member at the

IBM Almaden Research Center IBM Research is the research and development division for IBM, an American multinational information technology company headquartered in Armonk, New York, with operations in over 170 countries. IBM Research is the largest industrial research org ...

in California. Hawker is the director of the

California NanoSystems Institute The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) is an integrated research center operating jointly at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. Its missions are to foster interdisciplinary collaborations for discoveries in nanosystems and nanotechnology; train the ...

, co-director of the Materials Research Laboratory, and the Alan and Ruth Heeger Professor of Interdisciplinary Science at the

Influence and research focus

In 2012, Hawker won the

Centenary Prize The Centenary Prize is an award granted annually by the United Kingdom-based Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) to up to three "outstanding chemists, who are also exceptional communicators, from overseas". The prize, established in 1947, and fir ...

from the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

for developing strategies for the design of new

polymers A polymer (; Greek '' poly-'', "many" + ''-mer'', "part") is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic an ...

, which has had a major influence in the area and on those studying polymers. In 2013, Hawker and another colleague invented Olaplex, a successful commercial product designed to relink hair bonds and to help reduce hair breakage. In 2018, Olaplex won a patent infringement action against

L'Oréal L'Oréal S.A. () is a French personal care company headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine with a registered office in Paris. It is the world's largest cosmetics company and has developed activities in the field concentrating on hair color, sk ...

. In 2015, Hawker was named as an

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

fellow for "revolutionising materials research through the development of powerful synthetic methods and strategies for molecularly engineering functional macromolecules, inspiring scientists across multiple disciplines." He also serves or has served as editor for journals, such as the ''Journal of Polymer Science'', and is on the editorial board for a number of journals of chemistry, including the ''International Journal of Polymeric Materials'', and the ''

Journal of Polymer Science Part A ''Journal of Polymer Science'' is a peer-reviewed journal of polymer science currently published in multiple parts by John Wiley & Sons. It was originally established as the ''Journal of Polymer Science'' in 1946 by Interscience Publishers and the ...

''. In 2017, Hawker was described as "one of the top materials scientists in the world, " In 2018, he and his colleagues developed a "3D-printing technique that can produce objects with both rigid and flexible properties will allow scientists to make bioinspired structures in just a single stage." This could lead to the development of structures with "mechanically and chemically distinct properties". Hawker is researching nanostructured materials in areas associated with

and

Awards

*2021: Member,

*2017: Charles G. Overberger International Prize for Excellence in Polymer Research *2016: Belgian Polymer Award *2016: Member of the

National Academy of Inventors The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia, following the model of the National Academies of the United States. It was founded at the University of South Florida in 2010. ...

*2015: Fellow,

(AAAS) *2013: ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry,

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...

*2012:

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

*2011: Arthur C. Cope Scholar, American Chemical Society *2010: Fellow,

*2010: Fellow, American Chemical Society *2010: Polymer Division Fellow, American Chemical Society *2010: Named in top 100 most cited chemists (2000–2010) *2009: PMSE Fellow, American Chemical Society *2008: Inaugural DSM Performance Materials Award,

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...

*2007: Mark Scholar Award, American Chemical Society *2006: IBM Research Division Award *2005: Dutch Polymer Award, Dutch Chemical Institute *2004: Industrial Scientist Award, American Chemical Society *2003: Co-operative Research Award, American Chemical Society *2002: IBM Corporate Technical Recognition Award *2000: Young Scientists Award, International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry *1999: Patent Invention Award, IBM Corporation *1997: Patent Invention Award, IBM Corporation *1995: Innovation Award, IBM Corporation *1992:

Rennie Memorial Medal The Rennie Memorial Medal is an Australian National Award that is awarded annually to a financial member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute with less than 8 years of professional experience since completing their most recent relevant qua ...

Royal Australian Chemical Institute The Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) is both the qualifying body in Australia for professional chemists and a learned society promoting the science and practice of chemistry in all its branches. The RACI hosts conferences, seminars and ...

*1992: Research Award,

Australian Research Council The Australian Research Council (ARC) is the primary non-medical research funding agency of the Australian Government, distributing more than in grants each year. The Council was established by the ''Australian Research Council Act 2001'', ...

*1991: Treloar Prize, Polymer Division, Royal Australian Chemical Institute *1990: Queen Elizabeth II Research Fellowship, Australian Research Council *1985: 1851 Research Scholarship, Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 *1985: Overseas Research Scheme Award,

Science and Engineering Research Council The Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) and its predecessor the Science Research Council (SRC) were the UK agencies in charge of publicly funded scientific and engineering research activities, including astronomy, biotechnology and bi ...

*1988: Science Fellow,

Harkness Fellowships The Harkness Fellowship (previously known as the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship) is a program run by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City. This fellowship was established to reciprocate the Rhodes Scholarships and enable Fellows from several cou ...

*1985:

Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan (CSFP) is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries. History The plan was originally proposed b ...

Award,

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lan ...

*1985: Masson Memorial Medal, Royal Australian Chemical Institute *1985: University Medal, University of Queensland1984 Poole Award,

*1984: CSR Chemicals Prize, University of Queensland *1983: Douglas McNaughton Scholarship, University of Queensland *1983: T. G. H. Jones Scholarship, University of Queensland *1982: Edward Taylor Memorial Prize, University of Queensland *1981: Chemistry Prize, University of Queensland

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawker, Craig 1964 births Australian chemists Fellows of the Royal Society Living people University of California, Santa Barbara faculty Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences