Water Research Award (1991) for the best engineering thesis in the field of water treatment and pollution control. Organization: vzw Water, Energie en Leefmilieu (WEL). The award comprises an honorary certificate and a prize of 50,000 BEF.
Exxon-VJC Lecture Award (1994) for the best oral presentation at the 2th Flemish Youth Congres of Chemistry (Antwerp (Belgium), 9 March 1994). Organisation: Royal Flemisch Chemical Society (KVCV). The award comprises an honorary certificate and a prize of 5,000 BEF.
KULeuven Research Council Award (1998) for the best young researcher of the Catholic University of Leuven (with a maximum of 5 years after obtaining a PhD degree). Organization: Research Council of Leuven University. The award comprises an honorary certificate and a price of 200,000 BEF.
EFCATS School Lecturer Award (2004) for the best lecturer of the 3rd EFCATS School on Catalysis, 21.09-26.09.04 (Ustron, Poland). Organisation: European Federation of Catalysis Societies (EFCATS). The award comprises an honorary certificate.
Elected Member of the Young Academy (DJA; https://www.dejongeakademie.nl/nl) (2005).
Gold Medal of the Royal Dutch Chemical Society (2006) for the best researcher in the entire field of chemistry in the Netherlands, aged younger than 40. Organization: Royal Dutch Chemical Society (KNCV). The award comprises an honorary certificate, a gold medal and a unique art object.
DECHEMA Award (2007) in recognition of excellent contributions to the development of combined in situ spectroscopic methods and their application to industrial catalytic processes. The award comprises an honorary certificate, a gold medal and a prize of 20,000 €. Organization: The Max Buchner Research Foundation of the German Organization of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.
Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC; https://www.rsc.org) (2009).
Eminent Visitor Award of the Catalysis Society of South Africa (2009) for seminal contributions to the field of catalysis in particular those aimed to characterize catalysts at working conditions. Organization: The Catalysis Society of South Africa (CATSA). The award, given to distinguished researchers in the field of catalysis, consists of an honorary certificate and the opening plenary lecture at the yearly CATSA conference, as well as giving a series of lectures at major South-African universities and institutes involved in catalysis research (i.e., Universities of Cape Town, Stellenbosch, Johannesburg, Witwatersrand and Kwazulu Natal and Sasol).
Elected Member of the Netherlands Academy of Technology and Innovation (NATI; https://www.acti-nl.org) (2009).
Netherlands Catalysis and Chemistry Award (2009). This 5-yearly award is given for outstanding contributions to the fundamental understanding and use of catalysis in the Netherlands and Belgium in the preceding 10 years. Organization: The Organization of Dutch Catalysis Industries (VIRAN) and the Catalysis Section of the Royal Dutch Chemical Society (KNCV). The award consists of a plaque and a prize of 10,000 €.
Elected Member of the Royal Holland Society of Sciences (KHMW; https://khmw.nl) (2010).
Elected Member of the European Academy of Science (Academia Europaea; https://www.ae-info.org) (2010).
Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis (2011). This 2-yearly award is given in recognition for the pioneering development and use of in-situ spectroscopic methods to probe catalytic solids at the micrometer and nanometer scale during their activation and function. Organization: The North American Catalysis Society (NACS). The award consists of a plaque and a prize of 5,000 $, as well as giving a plenary talk at the North American Catalysis Congress (NAM) in Detroit (Michigan, USA).
Elected Member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences (KNAW; https://knaw.nl/nl) (2011).
International Catalysis Award (2011). This 4-yearly award is given in recognition for the pioneering development and use of in-situ micro- and nano-spectroscopy to probe catalytic solids at work. Organization: International Association of Catalysis Societies (IACS). The award consists of a plaque and a prize of 5,000 €, as well as giving a pleanary talk at the International Congress on Catalysis (ICC) in Munich (Germany).
Vladimir N. Ipatieff Lectureship in Catalysis (2013). This named lectureship, established in 1988 by Northwestern University (USA), aims to enhance the educational experience of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers by sponsoring extended, up to one month, visits by internationally distinguished researchers in catalysis. This recognition consists of a plaque, a prize of 5,000 $ and 5,000 $ for covering travel and housing costs.
John Bourke Award (2013) for highly innovative contributions to the understanding of the functioning of catalytic solids using spectroscopic methods. Organization: The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). The award consists of £ 2000 and a medal. Also a lectureship is associated with the Award.
Spinoza Award (2013) for inspiring and breakthrough research in the field of catalysis. Organization: Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). The award consists of a plaque, art object and research grant of 2.5 million €. The Spinoza Award is the highest scientific award within the Netherlands.
Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2014) Organization: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This award has been given to Professor Bert Weckhuysen for his distinguished contributions to the understanding of catalytic phenomena through the delelopment and use of spatiotemporal spectroscopy methods, and their application to catalyst design.
Elected Member of the The Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Sciences and Arts (KVAB) (2015).
Elected Fellow of ChemPubSoc Europe (2015). (https://www.chemistryviews.org/details/ezine/5933071/ ChemPubSoc_Europe_Fellows_Program.html).
Appointed as Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion (2015). Highest civil Royal distinction for service to science and society within the Netherlands.
Kozo Tanabe Prize for Acid-Base Catalysis (2017). The award, named after the prominent Japane scientist Kozo Tanabe, is awarded every 4 years and consists of a plaque, an honorarium of 2000 $ and a travel budget to give a plenary lecture at the 8th International Symposium on Acid-Base Catalysis in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The prize is awarded for “groundbreaking work on chemical imaging of Brønsted acid sites and related catalytic chemistry within zeolite-based materials, a research field that paves the way towards the rational design of new and improved chemical processes.”
Xing Da Lectureship of Peking University (2017). The award, worth an honorarium of 5000 $ and a travel budget, is awarded to a distinguished scholar in the field of chemistry and molecular engineering. The lecture entitled “Hunting for the Hidden Chemistry in Solid Catalysts: Towards a Molecular Movie” was given on November 17, and was accompanied by a lecture tour through different academic institutions in Shanghai and Beijing.
Certificate for Achievements of the Christoffel Plantin fund (2018, Belgium) for his contributions to the prestige and appeal of Belgium in foreign countries from the Belgian Ambassador in the Netherlands.
Robert B. Anderson Award of the Canadian Catalysis Society (2018). The award, named after the prominent Canadian catalysis researcher, is awarded every two years and consists of a travel budget of 5000 CDND to give two plenary lectures and an honorarium of 1500 CDND. The award is given for “for his excellent contributions to the fundamental understanding of the functioning of solid catalysts and the related development of advanced microscopy and spectroscopy methods”.
Karl Ziegler Lectureship Award of the The Max-Planck Institut für Kohlenforschung (2019). The “Karl Ziegler Gastprofessur” is named after the Nobel laureate who shared together with Giulio Natta the prize for the discovery for polypropylene and the related catalysts to produce these plastics. The prize consists of a certificate and a monetary award of 5.000 €. The award is accompanied by giving a public lecture and two lectures for PhD students, postdoctoral students as well as academic staff.
Charles Casey Lecturship Award in Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry of the University of Madison at Wisconsin (2020). This annual award is given to international sholars with great visibility in inorganic and organometallic chemistry. The prize consists of a certificate and a monetary award of 5.000 $. The award is accompanied by giving two lectures for PhD students, postdoctoral students as well as academic staff of the department of chemistry of the University of Madison at Wisconsin.
Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society (2020). This lifetime appointment is the highest honor of the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) bestowed upon an individual and is granted to the most distinguished chemists from around the world, who have made significant contributions to the advancement of chemistry, as well as to the development of chemistry in China and the Society.
Frontiers Award of the Max-Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion (2022). This annual award is given to an internationally outstanding and renowned scientist. The prize used to be awarded for excellent research work in the field of "Bioinorganic Chemistry". After the Max-Planck Institute was renamed in 2012, the prize was and is still given for achievements in the research area of "Chemical Energy Conversion". The award is accompanied by giving a public lecture at the institute as well as a plaque and certificate.
Chemistry Europe Award (2023). This inaugural award is given “for outstanding achievements and leadership in the field of sustainable chemistry and catalysis research.” The award is initiated by Chemistry Europe, an association of 16 chemical societies from 15 European countries, to recognize outstanding contributions to chemistry. The award includes prize money of 10,000 €, an art object and a certificate.
Honorary Professorship and Peiyang Lectureship at Tianjin University (Tianjin, China) (2023). On November 14, 2023, Bert Weckhuysen, was appointed as an Honorary Professor at the School of Chemical Engineering of Tianjin University (China). Gong Jinlong, Vice President of Tianjin University, Professor Fan Xiaobin, Dean of the School of Chemical Engineering, and representatives of teachers and students attended the awarding ceremony.
Honorary Professorship at East China University of Science & Technology (Shanghai, China) (2023). On November 17, 2023, Professor Bert Weckhuysen was appointed as an Honorary Professor at the School of Chemical Engineering of East China University of Science & Technology (ECUST). Professor Xuan Fuzhen, President of ECUST, attended and awarded the Honorary Professorship.
Doctor Honoris Causa from Ghent University (Ghent, Belgium) (2024). On March 22, 2024, Professor Bert Weckhuysen received on behalf of Ghent University from Rector Professor Rik Van de Walle an honorary doctorate for his outstanding contributions in the field of chemistry, catalysis and analytical sciences with a special emphasis on the development and use of spatiotemporal operando spectroscopy to elucidate the reaction and deactivation mechanisms of important catalytic processes. Promotores are professors Veronique Van Speybroeck and Kevin Van Geem.
Tien-Chuan Wang Honorary Professorship and Lectureship from the Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS, Wuhan, China) (2024). This honorary lectureship is named after professor Tien-Chuan Wang, a famous atomic molecular physics scientist and founder of the Chinese Society of Magnetic Resonance. On November 7, 2024, this honor was given on behalf of the CAS institute by president professor Xin Zhou to Professor Bert Weckhuysen for his seminal contributions to the development of operando spectroscopy and microscopy to elucidate reaction and deactivation mechanisms of heterogeneous catalysts.
Karl Wamsler Innovation Award of the Technical University of Munich (2024). This award is given on November 14, 2024, on behalf of the Technical University of Munich by president Professor Thomas Hofmann to Professor Bert Weckhuysen in appreciation for his distinguished and groundbreaking work in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, and more specifically for visualizing solid catalysts in operando for the conversion of fossil and renewable feedstocks. Organisation: Technical University of Munich with financial support from Clariant. The award consists of a plaque and a prize of 50,000 € as well as travel budget to give a series of lectures at the Technical University of Munich to engage with students and staff members.
Earl L. Muetterties Memorial Lectureship in Chemistry from the University of California at Berkeley (2025). This named lectureship honors the legacy of Earl Leonard Muetterties, a distinguished chemist who made lasting contributions during his career. Organisation: University of California at Berkeley. The award consists of a plaque and a prize of 2,000 € as well as travel budget to give a series of lectures at the University of California at Berkeley to engage with students and staff members.
Francqui Chair at the University of Antwerp (Antwerp, Belgium) (2025). The inaugural lecture, which took place at April 23, 2025, was attended by a.o. the dean of the Faculty of Science Professor Sabine van Doorslaer, rector Professor Herwig Leirs, and promotor Professor Bert Maes. This award is given to Professor Bert Weckhuysen for his outstanding scientific achievements as well as inspiring personality in the field of catalysis and sustainable chemistry. Organisation: Francqui Foundation. The award consists of a plaque and a prize of 6,000 € as well as travel budget to give a series of lectures at the University of Antwerp to engage with students and staff members. The second series of invited lectures will take place from September 24-26, 2025.
Honorary Professorship at Shanghai University (Shanghai, China) (2025). On July 11, 2025, Professor Bert Weckhuysen was appointed as an Honorary Professor at the Faculty of Science of Shanghai University. Professor Dengsong Zhang, dean of the Faculty of Science, presented Professor Bert Weckhuysen with a commemorative plaque in honor of his achievements in the field of operando spectroscopy to better understand the active site in catalyst materials both in space and time.
Michel Boudart Award for the Advancement of Catalysis (2025). This 2-yearly research award is given to Professor Bert Weckhuysen for “the foundation, development and application of spatiotemporal operando spectroscopy to elucidate the active site”. Organization: European Federation of Catalysis Societies (EFCATS) and North American Catalysis Society (NACS). The award consists of a plaque, art object and a prize of 6,000 $ and 2,000 $ travel budget. Professor Bert Weckhuysen has given plenary lectures at both the 29th North American Catalysis Society Meeting (NAM) in Atlanta (Georgia, USA) and 16th European Congress on Catalysis (Europacat) in Trondheim (Norway).
Vladimir Haensel Lectureship Award from Honeywell UOP (2025). This 2-yearly award honors Haensel's pioneering work with a.o. metal-based catalysts, vital to the refining and petrochemicals industry, and nowadays crucial for making the transition towards a more sustainable society. On November 3, 2025, Professor Bert Weckhuysen will give the lectureship award in Des Plaines (Illinois, USA). This award is given in recognition for his pioneering development and use of operandospectroscopy to elucidate reaction and deactivation mechanisms of industrially relevant catalyst materials. Organization: Honeywell UOP. The award consists of a plaque, a prize of 2,000 $ and a travel budget to visit Honeywell UOP, Northwestern University and University of Chicago.