UNCW Researcher Receives National Recognition for Leadership in Mentoring

Kristy Syhapanha, postdoctoral researcher in the UNCW Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has received an American Chemical Society (ACS) 2026 Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar Recognition Program Award in the Leadership in Mentoring category.

The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to mentoring and fostering a culture of research excellence and safety. Honorees may mentor peers within their research groups, support researchers outside their laboratories and guide undergraduate and high school students, as well as participants in short-term research programs such as summer research experiences, Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs) and international exchanges.

"I am really honored to receive this award and very grateful to Dr. Poulin and Dr. Williamson for the opportunity to work with them,” Syhapanha said. “They are the reasons I was able to mentor and work with the amazing students, faculty and staff at UNCW. I look forward to furthering chemical research at UNCW and sharing that with the scientific community."

Syhapanha is among 51 postdoctoral researchers recognized internationally through the program and is the only postdoctoral scholar in North Carolina to receive this distinction. She is a third-year postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and is co-advised by Remington X. Poulin and R. Thomas Williamson.

“In addition to her research investigating the chemical and physical degradation of novel medical devices and antibiofouling products, Dr. Syhapanha is a leader in the lab, helping mentor and train fellow postdoctoral researchers, graduate and undergraduate students alike,” said Poulin, research associate professor and director of spectroscopy facilities.