Distinguished Professor Neil Garg, who holds the Kenneth N. Trueblood Endowed Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry, has won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2026 Centenary Prize for “challenging long-standing paradigms in organic chemistry through the creative generation and use of strained intermediates in synthesis, and for excellence in communication.”
Established in 1947, the Centenary Prize commemorates the centenary of the society’s founding in 1841 and recognizes outstanding international chemists who are also exceptional communicators. Each year, only three awards are given worldwide across all fields of chemistry. In addition to receiving a prize and medal, Garg will deliver a series of prize lectures across the UK and Ireland.
In his research, Garg is known for breaking typical rules of reactivity. Along the way, his lab develops practical synthetic chemistry and advances fundamental knowledge that challenge decades of textbook thinking. The Centenary Prize celebrates Garg’s violation of Bredt’s rule, a 100-year old rule of organic chemistry (Science 2024, 386, eadq3519), and related synthetic studies for his lab .
This research, as well as their breakthroughs in breaking amide carbon-nitrogen bonds (otherwise thought to be stable), are described in an article in the June 17, 2026, issue of Science Advances entitled: ‘Rule-breaking in chemical synthesis’. In the article, Garg and his long-time collaborator, Professor Ken Houk, a world authority in computational and physical organic chemistry, encourage others to join them in challenging the countless rules in science. Garg and Houk have amassed more than 35 publications together so far, jointly tackling studies of Bredt’s rule, amide C-N bond activation, and more.
Garg is known for excellence in science communication. In the classroom, he transformed the way organic chemistry is taught at UCLA and perceived by students. His course for pre-health students was ranked one of the best classes in Los Angeles by LA Weekly and has been referred to as UCLA’s most beloved class. He’s developed online educational tools, helping hundreds of thousands of students embrace organic chemistry, and teaches chemistry to children and the general public through his popular book series: “The Organic Coloring Book” his Chem Kids camp, and many other initiatives.
Recent awards and honors Garg has received include the 2025 David A. Evans Award for the Advancement and Education of Organic Synthesis from the American Chemical Society and the 2024 Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize (Molecular Strainers Team). For teaching and communication, his honors include the 2015 California Professor of the Year Award, the 2018 Robert Foster Cherry Award, the 2023 Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science from the AAAS, and the 2026 UCLA Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring.
Garg joins an illustrious group of prior UCLA chemists who have previously won the Centenary Prize: Ric Kaner (2018), 2025 Chemistry Nobel Laureate Omar Yaghi (2010), Fred Hawthorne (1998/1999), 1987 Chemistry Nobel Laureate Donald Cram (1975/1976), and Saul Winstein (1967/1968).
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penjen@g.ucla.edu.
