NJIT Professor Omowunmi Sadik Named 2023 American Chemical Society Fellow

NJIT Distinguished Professor of Chemistry Omowunmi Sadik has earned the exclusive distinction of being named Fellow by one of the largest scientific organizations globally, the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Sadik's “outstanding contributions to science, the profession, and ACS” over her 30-year career earned her selection into ACS's 2023 class of 42 fellows, which was recently recognized at the Society’s Fellow Ceremony in San Francisco.

ACS established its Fellows Program in 2008 to annually recognize members for exemplary professional achievements and service to the Society. Of its more than 173,000 members around the world, less than 1% have been recognized with the designation.

Sadik is just the third faculty member at NJIT to be presented with the honor, following biomedical engineering professor Michael Jaffe and College of Science and Liberal Arts Dean Kevin Belfield.

“I'm incredibly honored for this prestigious award and recognition of my work and leadership. It is a validation of the work of so many highly talented members of the Sadik Group, past and present,” said Sadik.

“It was a great feeling to be in the company of highly accomplished women like Carolyn R. Bertozzi (Stanford University and 2022 Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry), Cynthia M. Friend (Harvard University), Jacqueline K. Barton (Caltech), Vicky Grassian (UC San Diego) and Catherine J. Murphy (UW-Madison). It’s quite an honor in this very competitive year.”

Sadik established NJIT's BioSensor Materials for Advanced Research and Technology (BioSMART) Center and has continued her trailblazing work in the field of surface chemistry and the development of innovative biosensing technologies, which have been used for everything from bomb detection and monitoring the environment to cancer and COVID-19 detection.

The ACS cited Sadik's significant scientific contributions, including "visionary leadership in green synthesis, nanosensors, and nanomaterials to improve sustainable applications, human health and the environment.”

To date, Sadik’s research in biosensors and bioanalytical chemistry has resulted in five US patents, over 200 peer-reviewed papers, and has been featured through more than 400 invited lectures and conference contributions worldwide.

Recently, Sadik has led new biosensor research for accurately measuring pain biomarkers in the human body, a development which could significantly improve clinical practitioner's ability to manage pain and reduce cases of addiction in patients.

Along with her research achievements, Sadik has held numerous leadership roles with the ACS and was credited by the society as the founder of its Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry/Sustainability and Green Technology subdivision.

Sadik was also recognized for her contributions to education for the next generation of chemists. To date, she has mentored 41 graduate students, 16 postdoctoral fellows and a host of undergraduate mentees.

Sadik's ACS Fellow designation follows a substantial list of accolades and honorable distinctions, which include Harvard University's Distinguished Radcliffe Fellowship, the NSF Discovery Corps Senior Fellowship, Jefferson Fellow and the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award (NNOM). She has also been elected a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2010) and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (2012).

For the full list of 2023 ACS Fellows, visit here.