SCI Gordon E. Moore Medal

The Gordon Moore Medal is the premier recognition for early-career success in innovation, as reflected both in market impact and improvement to quality of life.

As a research chemist and then director of R&D, Gordon Moore carried out pioneering work on silicon transistors, the integrated circuit, semiconductor computer memory, and the microprocessor—while well under the age of 45. The Moore Medal, which bears his name, honors similarly talented young scientists.

It is presented by the Society of Chemical Industry each year during Innovation Day.

2026 Medalist: Lyndsay Leal

Lyndsay Leal is a senior research scientist at Dow and part of Dow Consumer Solutions Product Development located in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Her research efforts focus on the development of functional polysaccharides and sustainable polymers for applications across multiple markets, specifically personal and home care products. She has recently focused on using machine learning to accelerate decision-making across the R&D pipeline. Through responsible digitalization of data processing and analysis, her team has enabled integrative multimodal predictive modeling for the simultaneous engineering of high performing and sustainable materials.

Since joining Dow, Lyndsay has led synthetic programs across acrylic, polyester, and polysaccharide technologies and led Dow’s Sustainable Chemistry Team initiative, focusing on complementing Dow’s existing consumer product portfolio with sustainable, high-performing materials. Currently, Lyndsay is the platform technology leader for the Polysaccharide Segment focusing on expanding Dow’s biosourced and biodegradable polymer offerings. She sits at the interface between product innovation and process technology for manufacturing assets.

Leal has been granted 15 U.S. patents, given 25 external publications/presentations, including peer-reviewed academic publications, and produced more than 150 internal company reports.

She has been recognized with several individual and team awards, including BIG Innovation Awards for three biobased offerings (UCARE™ Extreme Polymer, DEXCARE™ CD-1 and CD-2 Polymers), AIChE Polymers in Industry Rising Star Award, and most recently was highlighted as an inaugural Innovator of the Year by Cosmetic Executive Women.

Leal received a dual BSc in chemistry and biology in 2010 at The College of New Jersey as a Merck/AAAS Research Fellow and completed her PhD in organic chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania in 2015 as an NIH Chemical Biology Interface Predoctoral Fellow. Her doctoral work combined her interest in cell biology and small molecule total synthesis to develop selective transmembrane protein inhibitors that limit cancer cell growth. Leal joined Dow in 2015 into the Home & Personal Care R&D organization, now part of Dow Consumer Solutions. She has been active in the ACS Green Chemistry Initiative serving as a multi-year judge for the Green Chemistry Awards.

Winners of the Gordon E. Moore Medal

For more information, visit the SCI website.

About the Society of Chemical Industry

SCI is a unique multidisciplinary forum where science meets business on independent, impartial ground. SCI provides the opportunity for sharing information among sectors as diverse as food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, environmental science, and safety.

Established in 1881 as the Society of Chemical Industry, SCI is today a registered charity with individual members in over 70 countries. Its headquarters are in London.

Ever since its foundation SCI’s principal objective has been to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit, through our events and publication.