Recognizes individuals who foster international cooperation between the American Ceramic Society (AcerS) and the European Ceramic Society (ECerS), in demonstration of both organizations’ commitment to work together to better serve the international ceramics community.
The European Ceramic Society–American Ceramic Society Joint Young Professional Award recognizes individuals who foster international cooperation between the American Ceramic Society and the European Ceramic Society, in demonstration of both organizations’ commitment to work together to better serve the international ceramics community.
The award shall be presented in alternate years at the ACerS Annual Meeting event (held in conjunction with Materials Science & Technology Conference in North America) in even years and the European Ceramic Society Biennial Meeting in odd years. The award shall consist of a complimentary registration for the event for one person, a certificate(s), and a piece of ceramic or glass artwork from the host society.
Nomination Process
A nomination form must be submitted and should include a statement of no more than 500 words stating the young professional’s leadership and service to further cooperation between ECerS and ACerS either over a period of several years, or highlighting service over and above expectations in a single event/activity, such as organizing a meeting, chairing a committee or task force, recruiting new members, frequently writing and/or reviewing for ECerS and ACerS publications, or promotion of both Societies’ positive interactions in the ceramics and glass community to the rest of the world. Nominee must be within 10 years of receiving his/her/their terminal degree.
Contact
Erica Zimmerman
Ph: 614-794-5821
ezimmerman@ceramics.org
Award Winners
Scott McCormack
Scott J. McCormack grew up in the small fishing village of Eden on the Far South Coast of Australia. He completed a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honors (H1), majoring in Materials Engineering at the University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia in 2013. He then completed his Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL, USA in 2019. From 2019 to 2025, he was an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Davis. Since January 2026, he is an Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. He was a recipient of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Faculty development award in 2020, National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Award in 2021, and an Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023 and the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award in 2024, both from the UC Davis College of Engineering. His research focuses on ultra-high temperature thermochemistry for materials in extreme environments for applications in hypersonic platforms, nuclear fission/fusion and space exploration. His service work beyond research and teaching contributions includes substantial activity in the President’s Council of Student Advisors (PCSA) of the American Ceramic Society (ACerS) including serving as the President of the PCSA in 2018 and returning as the Mentor-at-Large in 2024. Upon joining the faculty at UC Davis, he revitalized the ACerS NorCal Section in 2019. He has been passionate about STEM outreach and much of his activity in the ACerS has been in that direction including partnering with the regional Math Engineering Science Achievement (MESA) program. More information can still be found at: https://mccormacklab.engineering.ucdavis.edu
Dr. McCormack was hired as an Assistant Professor at the University of California at Berkeley in January 2026.