David Heldebrant, a chemist and director of the Physical Sciences Division at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), received the 2025 Distinguished Service Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Energy & Fuels (ENFL). Heldebrant will be recognized at the ACS Spring 2026 meeting in March 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Distinguished Service Award is given to an ENFL member who has been part of the division for at least ten years and who has had “a significant and continued impact on the advancement of energy and fuels chemistry through research, teaching, service or a combination of the three over an extended period of time.” 

“I’m absolutely thrilled with this honor,” said Heldebrant. “I’ve spent decades as an ACS member and working with folks in ENFL. Being recognized for service by my peers means a great deal.”

Heldebrant has an extensive history and record of service with ACS broadly and ENFL specifically. He served as the overall division chair and a conference program chair for ENFL. He is also a committed member of the local Richland ACS section, currently serving as an alternate counselor.

Heldebrant began his career at PNNL in 2006. He received PNNL’s Ronald L. Brodzinski Early Career Exceptional Achievement award in 2011. He was named a Department to Energy Early Career award winner in 2015 and is an ACS Fellow. His work spans applied and fundamental science research, focused on improving atom and energy efficiency and reducing the toxicity of chemical processes relevant to energy-related processes.