Overview
Prof. Coates is the Tisch University Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Cornell University. His teaching and research interests involve science at the interface of organic, inorganic, and materials chemistry. The broader impacts of his research include benign polymers and chemical synthesis, the utilization of renewable resources, and materials safe and economical energy storage and conversion.
Research Focus
The research focus of my group is the development of new synthetic strategies for producing polymers of defined structure. The control of polymer composition, architecture, stereochemistry, and molecular weight allows the indirect control of polymer properties via polymer morphology. Our research projects are interdisciplinary, addressing problems at the interface of organic, inorganic, organometallic, and polymer chemistry.
Awards and Honors
2026 The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry, The Franklin Institute
2026 ACS Award in Polymer Chemistry, American Chemical Society
2025 Alan G. MacDiarmid Medal, Department of Chemistry, University of Pennsylvania
2025 Mislow Medal, Department of Chemistry, Princeton University
2023 National Academy of Sciences Award for the Industrial Application of Science
2022 Eni Award for Advanced Environmental Solutions
2021 Gustavus John Esselen Award, American Chemical Society
2017 Election to the National Academy of Sciences
2017 Election to the National Academy of Inventors
2017 Newcomb Cleveland Prize, American Association for the Advancement of Science
2016 Kathryn C. Hach Award for Entrepreneurial Success, American Chemical Society
2015 Award in Applied Polymer Science, American Chemical Society
2012 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award
2011 Election to American Academy of Arts & Sciences
2009 Carl S. Marvel Creative Polymer Chemistry Award, American Chemical Society
2009 Award for Affordable Green Chemistry, American Chemical Society
2006 Stephen and Margery Russell Distinguished Teaching Award
2001 Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award, American Chemical Society
2000 David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship in Science and Engineering
2000 Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award
2000 Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, Young Investigator Award
Publications
Select Recent Publications
1. Cui, S.; Lu, Z.; Lopez, J. C.; Kränzlein, M.; Kim, C. J.; Lin, S.; LaPointe, A. M.; Coates, G. W. “Main-Chain Ketone Installation in Polyethylene Chains: A Metal-Free Strategy toward Photodegradable Plastics” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 37204–37210.
2. Hsu, J. H.; Haynes, C. A.; Macbeth, A. J.; Girbau, R.; Borowski, J. E.; Reilly, M. A.; Taylor, A. L.; Peltier, C. R.; Birch, C.; Noonan, K. J. T.; Coates, G. W.; Fors, B. P. “User-Friendly, Living Coordination-Insertion Polymerizations with Broad Functional Group Tolerance” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 40676–40685.
3. D’Alterio, M. C.; Scoti, M.; Di Girolamo, R.; Talarico, G.; Coates, G. W.; De Rosa, C. “The Role of Dipole Carbonyl-Carbonyl and Hydrogen-Carbonyl Interactions in Stereocomplexation and Crystallization: The Case of Poly(Cyclohexene Carbonate)” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202504418.
4. Macbeth, A. J.; Markovich, D.; Taylor, A. L.; Flanagan, E. B.; Borowski, J. E.; Hsu, J. H.; Peltier, C. R.; Muller, D. A.; Fors, B. P.; Noonan, K. J. Y.; Coates, G. W. “Designing Highly Conductive Anion Exchange Membranes: Tuning Domain Continuity with ABC Block Copolymer Self-Assembly” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 16471–16480.
5. Kränzlein, M.; Cui, S.; LaPointe, A. M.; Fors, B. P.; Coates, G. W. “One-Step Radical-Induced Synthesis of Graft Copolymers for Effective Compatibilization of Polyethylene and Polypropylene” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 19052–19060.
6. Rusconi, Y.; D’Alterio, M. C.; De Rosa, C.; Coates, G. W.; Talarico, G. “Disclosing Multiple Factors Influencing Enantioselective Copolymerization of CO2 with meso-Epoxides using beta-Diiminate Zn Catalysts” Green Chem., 2025, 27, 4196–4204.
7. Ren, B.-H.; Severson, S. M.; Wang, S.-N.; Liu, Z.-F.; Zhang, L.-D.; Wang, Z.-C.; Liu, Y.; Ren, W.-M.; Coates, G. W.; Lu, X.-B. “Efficient Kinetic Resolution Copolymerization of Epoxides and CO2 Achieved via Computation-Guided Catalyst Design” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 28198–28205.
8. Hu, J.; Sparrow, Z. M.; Ernst, B. G.; Mattes, S. M.; Coates, G. W.; DiStasio, R. A.; Fors, B. P. “Designing Polymers with Molecular Weight Distribution Based Machine Learning” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 10238–10246.
9. Severson, S. M.; Ren, B.-H.; Cayzer, M.; Keresztes, I.; Johnson, M. L.; Lu, X.-B.; Coates, G. W. “Mechanism-Inspired Synthesis of Poly(alkyl malonates) via Alternating Copolymerization of Epoxides and Meldrum’s Acid Derivatives” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2025, 147, 801–810.
10. Abel, B. A.; Coates, G. W. “Introduction: The Future of Plastics Sustainability” Chem. Rev. 2025, 125, 1255–1256.
11. Schüttner, S.; Lu, Y.; Frey, H.; Coates, G. W. “Stereoregular Poly(Phenyl Glycidyl Ethers): In Situ Formation of a Polyether Stereocomplex from a Racemic Monomer Mixture” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202413643.
12. Rugh, H. J.; Lee, J.; Sun, C.; Abdo, E. E.; Bem, J. N.; Balsara, N. P.; Coates, G. W. “Polysilaketals: High-Performance Polyether-Based Electrolytes with Tunable Disubstituted Silane Linkers” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2025, e202415069.
In the news
- Portraits honor 8 Cornell faculty as ‘new heroes’
- Chemist Geoffrey Coates wins Benjamin Franklin Medal
- Cornell chemists tackle climate change
- Happy together: Peroxide binds incompatible polymers for recycling
- Scientists enhance recyclability of waste plastic
- Chemist wins National Academy of Science award
- Pollack lauds ‘amazing Cornellians’ in State of the University speech
- Energy center receives $12.6 million in renewed funding
- Coates wins 2022 Eni Award for environmental solutions in chemistry
- The 2030 Project to marshal faculty to solve climate crisis
- Startups flourish in Cornell’s clean energy ecosystem
- Cornell joins NY-led group to propose hydrogen energy hub
- Chemistry summer program = research + confidence
- Polymer enables tougher recyclable thermoplastics
- Magnetic tweezers reveal polymers’ hidden properties
- Research and restore: How Cornell scientists are conserving Earth’s resources
- Alumni-fueled startups pitch clean-energy solutions
- Chemistry students offer summer session for peers
- Cornell Atkinson awards $1.1M to innovative projects
- Chemists create faster-degrading plastic for marine uses
- Sustainable Plastics
- ‘Triangle 2’ plastic containers may see environmental makeover
- Coates honored by American Chemical Society
- Sustainable polymers center gets NSF renewal grant
- Ecolectro receives $1.7M from DOE to accelerate hydrogen fuel development
- Cornell joins battery research partnership
- Plastics, Can’t Get Away from Using Them
- $10.75M grant aids next-gen fuel cell development
- Inaugural Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows selected
- Chemist Coates wins prize for best Science paper
- Chemist named National Academy of Inventors fellow
- Magnetic tweezers reveal ‘hairballs’ in polymer growth
- Chemistry's Coates elected to National Academy of Sciences
- A New Polymer for Low-Cost Fuel Cells
- Polymer additive could revolutionize plastics recycling