Neil Garg, an Indian American Distinguished Professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) has won the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2026 Centenary Prize for his rule breaking research and communication skills.
Garg, who holds the Kenneth N. Trueblood Endowed Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry, won the prestigious honor for “challenging long-standing paradigms in organic chemistry through the creative generation and use of strained intermediates in synthesis, and for excellence in communication.”
Established in 1947, the Centenary Prize commemorates the centenary of the society’s founding in 1841 and recognizes three outstanding international chemists who are also exceptional communicators. In addition to receiving a prize and medal, Garg will deliver a series of prize lectures across the UK and Ireland.
In his research, Garg is known for breaking typical rules of reactivity. Along the way, his lab develops practical synthetic chemistry and advances fundamental knowledge that challenge decades of textbook thinking.
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The Centenary Prize celebrates Garg’s violation of Bredt’s rule, a 100-year old rule of organic chemistry and related synthetic studies for his lab. His research, as well as breakthroughs in breaking amide carbon-nitrogen bonds (otherwise thought to be stable), are described in an article in the June 17, 2026, issue of Science Advances, titled: “Rule-breaking in chemical synthesis.”
Garg is known for excellence in science communication. In the classroom, he transformed the way organic chemistry is taught at UCLA and perceived by students, according to a university release.
He’s developed online educational tools, helping hundreds of thousands of students embrace organic chemistry, and teaches chemistry to children and the general public through his popular book series: “The Organic Coloring Book” his Chem Kids camp, and many other initiatives.
Garg’s awards and honors include the 2025 David A. Evans Award for the Advancement and Education of Organic Synthesis from the American Chemical Society and the 2024 Royal Society of Chemistry Horizon Prize (Molecular Strainers Team).
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For teaching and communication, his honors include the 2015 California Professor of the Year Award, the 2018 Robert Foster Cherry Award, the 2023 Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science from the AAAS, and the 2026 UCLA Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Mentoring.
Prior to joining the faculty at UCLA, Garg received a BS in Chemistry from New York University and his PhD from the California Institute of Technology.
Garg joined the faculty at UCLA in 2007. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 2012, and then to Full Professor in 2013. In 2020, he was promoted to the rank of Distinguished Professor.