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John Anthony honored with 2023 SEC Faculty Achievement Award

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

A portrait of a professor.
John Anthony

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 5, 2021) — John Anthony, the C. W. Hammond Professor of Chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named winner of the 2023 SEC Faculty Achievement Award for the University of Kentucky this spring.

Anthony, who also serves as associate director at the Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER), was awarded with 13 other SEC university professors for their “dedication to the classroom experience, the commitment to advance their disciplines and the determination to make a difference through service.”

"I am very grateful to UK and the SEC for this honor," Anthony said. "Given the interdisciplinary nature of modern science, my accomplishments represent the shared intellectual contributions of a global network of skilled collaborators (and friends). I am especially proud of the strong team of materials chemistry colleagues that we have assembled here at UK, who have built UK’s reputation as an internationally recognized center for organic materials research."

Anthony has significantly shaped the field of materials chemistry. His award-winning contributions have made him one of UK’s most highly cited researchers. He has secured funding through the National Science Foundation, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and National Institute of Standards and Technology, where awards total nearly $6 million since 2016 alone. He has also published frequently in the Nature family of journals as well as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

“John Anthony is a remarkable scholar who embodies our mission as Kentucky's land-grant institution,” said UK Provost Bob DiPaola. “He has dedicated his intellectual power to advancing ingenuity and innovation, and ensuring our students receive a quality education in his classroom. The University of Kentucky is proud to have John Anthony as a faculty member."

For over a decade, the Southeastern Conference has used its SEC Faculty Achievement Award to honor these essential members of the campus community. The unique awards program was established in 2012 by the conference’s presidents and chancellors and celebrates success in teaching, research and service.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $501 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.