The Journal of Inorganic and Organometallic Polymers and Materials is honoured to dedicate issue 2 of volume 28 to Professor George Newkome, a distinguished professor, researcher and pioneer in the fields of dendrimers, supra(macro)molecular chemistry and nanotechnology. Since Professor Newkome’s research has made a strong impact on my own research activities as well as many other researchers, I am pleased and honored to write his biography.

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Professor Newkome obtained both his B.Sc. and then his Ph.D. from Kent State University. He went to Princeton University as a post-doctoral fellow and then moved to Louisiana State University and went through the professoriate ranks. In 1978 he became a Full Professor and in 1982 he was appointed to the rank of Louisiana State University Distinguished Research Master. In 1986, he joined the University of South Florida as their first Vice-President for Research. Professor Newkome then moved to The University of Akron as their Vice-President Research and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and the James and Vanita Oelschlager Professor of Science and Technology and Professor in the Departments of Polymer Science and Chemistry as well as President of the Ohio Research Foundation and Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund.

Professor Newkome has published over 525 articles and holds over 50 US and international patents. He also authored and edited over 20 books and monographs. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, National Academy of Inventors, Ohio Academy of Sciences and the AAAS. In 2015, he received Docteur Honoris Causa, de l’Universite de Bordeaux. He was named the 2016 Kent State University Alumnus of the Year. Recently, he retired from the University of Akron and moved to the Center for Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at Florida Atlantic University’s Jupiter Campus.