Balija Named 2026 ACS Fellow
2026 Sujack Awards
Balija Named 2026 ACS Fellow
Amy Balija, associate teaching professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Loyola University Chicago, has been named a 2026 Fellow of the American Chemical Society (ACS), one of the organization’s highest distinctions recognizing members who have made exceptional contributions to Science, the Profession, and the Society.
Of more than 277,000 ACS members worldwide, Balija is among only 59 selected for the 2026 Class of ACS Fellows. The honorees were recognized at a ceremony hosted by ACS President Rigoberto Hernandez during the ACS Fall 2026 meeting in Chicago.
“Dr. Balija’s selection as an ACS Fellow is a tremendous recognition of her contributions to chemistry and her commitment to advancing the field,” said Peter J. Schraeder, PhD, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Her work demonstrates the impact that thoughtful, innovative research and dedicated teaching can have on our students, the profession, and the broader community.”
Balija is committed to undergraduate chemistry education. Her work includes developing new laboratory experiments for introductory chemistry courses and exploring ways to foster belonging in the classroom. Her research has been published in high profile chemistry education journals and she has presented her teaching methods at national and international conferences.
“Being named an ACS Fellow is a tremendous honor, especially as the ACS celebrates its 150 year anniversary in 2026,” said Balija. “I am especially grateful to my students, colleagues, and ACS volunteers whose support, guidance, and collaboration have been invaluable throughout my career. This honor motivates me to continue pursuing excellence in teaching, research and service to the chemical community.”
Balija’s research has focused on developing methods to visualize microplastics in aqueous environments using commercially available dyes. She also developed bio-renewable polymers and environmentally friendly macromolecules that remove organic pollutants from water, advancing research aimed at addressing environmental challenges.
The ACS Fellows Program was created by the Board of Directors in December 2008 to recognize members who have made exceptional contributions to the science or profession and have provided excellent volunteer service to the ACS community. Representing only 1% of ACS members, ACS Fellows include distinguished scientists such as Noble Prize winners Jennifer Doudna, Frances Arnold, and Carolyn Bertozzi, along with leaders of universities, scientific organizations, and chemical companies. Balija was recognized for her exceptional contributions to teaching and implementing novel training strategies, the study of environmentally friendly polymers for encapsulating organic pollutants, and her inspirational leadership as Chair of the National ACS Women Chemists Committee.
Learn more about Balija’s ACS Fellows selection and her research.
About the College of Arts and Sciences
Founded in 1870, the College of Arts and Sciences is the oldest and largest of Loyola University Chicago’s 13 schools and colleges, serving as the academic home for nearly 8,000 students (roughly 50 percent of Loyola’s total student population). It is academically diverse with twenty academic departments that span an array of intellectual pursuits, ranging from the natural sciences and computational sciences to the humanities, the social sciences, and the fine and performing arts. It is also highly interdisciplinary with thirty-one interdisciplinary programs and seven interdisciplinary centers, including the mission-centric Jesuit Heritage Research Center and the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage. The College is home to over 450 full-time, award-winning faculty, who are committed to teaching and research excellence. They teach nearly 2,000 classes each semester, including 88 percent of all Core Curriculum classes taken by undergraduate students across the university. They also contribute to eleven doctoral programs whose graduates have helped propel Loyola starting in 2025 to R-1 research status (the highest research status a university can achieve). Our students and faculty are engaged internationally at Loyola Rome in Italy, as well as at dozens of university-sponsored study abroad and research sites around the world. Home to the departments that anchor the university’s Core Curriculum, the College seeks to prepare all of Loyola’s students to think critically, to engage the world of the 21st century at ever-deepening levels, and to become caring and compassionate individuals. Our faculty, staff, and students view service to others not just as one option among many, but as a constitutive dimension of their very being. In the truest sense of the Jesuit ideal, our graduates strive to be “individuals for others.”