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and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry of the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto has been awarded the Henry Marshall Tory Medal by .

The medal is presented every two years "for outstanding research in a branch of astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, physics, or an allied science.” It is named in honour of mathematician Henry Marshall Tory, who was the first president of the University of Alberta, the National Research Council of Canada, and Carleton College (later Carleton University).

Kumacheva’s remarkably diverse research explores the field of “soft matter” or polymers, colloids, liquid crystals, hydrogels and living matter. She has designed and developed soft materials for use in an extraordinarily broad range of areas, including telecommunications, security, data storage, drug delivery, anti-cancer therapies and tissue engineering.

A native of Ukraine, Kumacheva’s stellar career is notable for the number of areas in which she has made major contributions, including chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering. Her many prior awards include: the Order of Canada, the L'Oreal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science, the International Chorafas Foundation Award in Physics and Engineering; the Alexander von Humboldt Senior Research Award; the de Gennes Prize; and the Guggenheim Fellowship.

"I am delighted to be a recipient of this award not only because this is the recognition of my research accomplishments, but also because Henry Marshall Tory was an outstanding person,” Kumacheva says. “The legacy that he left was well beyond being a distinguished scientist. His commitment to spreading scientific knowledge and international goodwill had a huge impact on the state of science and education in Canada."