The 52nd Council Meeting of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) and the 49th World Chemistry Congress, IUPAC|CHAINS, opened in The Hague, Netherlands, on Aug 20. During the event, the recipients of the IUPAC 2023 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering award were announced. 

Chen Chunying, a council member of the Biophysical Society of China (BSC), was honored with this award in recognition of her groundbreaking contributions to life analytical chemistry and its applications in nano biomedicine.

Javier García Martínez, president of the IUPAC, presents the award to Chen Chunying, a council member of the BSC. [Photo/WeChat account: BSC]

Chen is a researcher and doctoral supervisor at the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology. She is a recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars and serves as vice-director of the CAS Key Laboratory for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety. 

Chen has also held senior positions as chief scientist of the nanotechnology and frontier of nanoscience projects in the National Key Research and Development Program. Currently, she is a member of the BSC Nanobiology Academic Subgroup, council member and fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society and deputy director of the society’s female chemists committee. 

Chen's pioneering research focuses on the analysis of nanoscale protein coronas and their chemical and biological effects, the detection methods and mechanisms of the in vivo behaviors of nanomaterials, as well as studies on nanoadjuvants and drug delivery systems. 

The awards program, initiated in 2011, was created to acknowledge female scientists and engineers worldwide who have made remarkable contributions in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering. This year, a total of 12 distinguished women in science were honored with this accolade, including two from the United Kingdom and the United States respectively and one each from China, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Brazil, India, Belgium and Japan.