This award recognizes an outstanding researcher early in their career (less than 10 years of professional service) that is making significant contributions to the field of ceramics. This award is in honor of Prof. Robert L. Coble, whose passion was to support the advancement of ceramic science and the careers of early ceramic scientists.
The ideal nominee should be a researcher that is making significant contributions to the field of ceramics / glass either through basic scientific research or development of new materials or products. Contributions can be in the form of influential publications, presentations, social media content, or tangible contributions in the form of new materials or products with extraordinary properties or performance. The preferable nominee would also show potential to be a long-term generational influencer for the advancement of ceramics / glass and the American Ceramic Society and have a propensity to mentor students and young professionals interested in careers in ceramics to perpetuate the ideals of Prof. Coble.
The awardee will receive a certificate and glass commemorative piece to be presented at the Annual Meeting Banquet.
Nomination Process
The nominee can be any early-career individual who is conducting research in academia, in industry or at a government-funded laboratory. Candidates must be ACerS members and within 10 years of their terminal degree. Selection of the awardee will be based on the nominations and accompanying evidence of scientific contributions (e.g., list of publications, selected abstracts, receipt of other awards or recognition).
Award Namesake
This award honors the late Professor Robert L. Coble, whose lifelong mission was to enhance the achievement and advancement of young ceramic scientists.
Contact
Erica Zimmerman
ezimmerman@ceramics.org
Award Winners
Yanhao Dong
Dr. Yanhao Dong is an associate professor in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Tsinghua University. He obtained his BS degree in materials science in 2012 from Tsinghua University, and his MS degree in materials science in 2014, his MS degree in applied mechanics in 2015, and his PhD degree in material science in 2017, all from University of Pennsylvania. His PhD dissertation focused on cation diffusion in zirconia ceramics, covering from experiments of sintering and grain growth to continuum-level solution of transport and growth theory to atomistic simulations of defect energetics and kinetics. He then spent five years at Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a postdoctoral researcher working on interdisciplinary materials design, processing, microstructure, and degradation mechanisms. He proposed/developed new concepts, theories, and techniques for robust ceramic materials and devices, including ultra-uniform nanocrystalline materials beyond Hillert’s theoretical limit, stress corrosion cracking and self-healing phenomena in high-voltage battery cathodes, planetary centrifugal deagglomeration for single-crystalline cathode synthesis, and rejuvenated cathode-electrolyte interface in protonic ceramic fuel/electrolysis cells. Dr. Dong has authored/co-authored over 90 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Nat. Energy, Nat. Synthesis, Chem. Rev., Acta Mater., J. Am. Ceram. Soc., Adv. Mater., Energy Environ. Sci., and Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. He received Early Discovery Award (2022), Edward C. Henry Award (2019) and Morgan Medal and Global Distinguished Doctoral Dissertation Award (2018) from American Ceramic Society, Innovators under 35 (TR35) China from MIT Technology Review (2024), Promising Scientist Award of DAMO Academy Young Fellow (2024), Acta Student Award from Acta Materialia (2019), and Sidney J. Stein Prize from University of Pennsylvania (2018). His current research interest is on advanced ceramics for structural and energy applications.
Scott J. 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.