Professor Thomas Hoye named ACS Fellow and 3M Alumni Professor
MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (9/10/2026) — Distinguished University Teaching Professor Thomas Hoye has been recently honored by the American Chemical Society with his naming as a 2026 ACS Fellow and by the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry with the title of 3M Alumni Professor. Both honors recognize Hoye’s outstanding innovations and contributions to the chemistry profession and the broader scientific community.
Hoye has been a member of the University of Minnesota Department of Chemistry faculty since the start of his independent academic career in 1976. Over the years, he has built and sustained a research program in synthetic and structural organic chemistry. His group examines problems in mechanistic organic chemistry, natural product synthesis, synthetic applications of organometallic chemistry, sustainable polymer synthesis, and many applications of NMR spectroscopy. The group’s research is further activated through collaborative projects in the areas of natural product isolation and structure determination, nanoparticle block-copolymer development for drug delivery, polymer property studies, and new prodrug strategies.
Research in the Hoye laboratory has been reported in more than 300 publications over the past 50 years. This body of work has been enabled by more than 150 graduate students and postdoctoral alumni who have trained under Hoye’s mentorship. The lab currently comprises two postdoctoral associates and four graduate students.
For his dedication to teaching, mentorship, and research, Hoye has been recognized with awards including the American Chemical Society David A. Evans Award for the Advancement and Education of Organic Synthesis (2026), the College of Science and Engineering Distinguished Professorship (2017), the American Chemical Society Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award (2017), the Royal Society of Chemistry Robert Robinson Award (2016), the Ernest Guenther Award in the Chemistry of Natural Products, American Chemical Society (2015), the endowed Merck Professor of Chemistry position from the University of Minnesota (2009 & 2002), the UMN Morse-Alumni Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2007), the UMN Award for Outstanding Contributions to Post-baccalaureate, Graduate and Professional Education, and election to the UMN Academy of Distinguished Teachers (1999).
About the 3M Alumni Professorship
The 3M Alumni Professorship — which recognizes comprehensive excellence in teaching, mentorship, and outreach — grants recipients the honorary title for five years. In 1979, the original endowment for this professorship was created by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Heinze and eventually grew to support a faculty title. About 10 years later, it evolved to become the 3M-Alumni Endowed Professorship. At that time, UMN alumni working at 3M made donations that were matched by the company; those donations were then matched again by a UMN incentive at the time. The endowment was created from the start to support faculty at the pre-tenure and tenured levels. The first recipient was Prof. Paul Barbara in 1995, followed by Regents Prof. Larry Que in 2000. Since 2015, the endowment has supported three professorships.
About the ACS Fellows Program
The ACS Fellows Program was created by the ACS Board of Directors in December 2008. ACS fellows are ACS members who have made outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, to the chemistry profession, and to the Society.
ACS named 59 members as ACS fellows for 2026. These fellows were celebrated at a ceremony held during the ACS Fall 2026 meeting in Chicago.