Double Distinction for IRCELYON at DivCat Awards 2026
The Catalysis Division of the French Chemical Society (DivCat SCF) has announced the winners of its 2026 Awards, which annually highlight outstanding achievements in catalysis.
IRCELYON is proud to include a researcher and a PhD student from the laboratory among the laureates of this edition.
- Sonia Gil Villarino, associate professor in the CARE team, has received the DivCat Young Researcher Award 2026. This distinction recognizes her work in catalysis applied to atmospheric pollutant treatment, a critical issue for air quality and environmental transition.
- Cyril Hachemi, now a postdoctoral researcher in the C’DURABLE team, received the DivCat PhD Thesis Award 2026. His thesis research, conducted within the CATREN team, focused on the synthesis and in situ characterization of novel photoanodes based on mixed titanium oxides and oxysulfides, with potential applications in energy and photochemical conversion.
These distinctions from the French Chemical Society highlight the quality and impact of IRCELYON’s research in catalysis for environmental and energy applications.
Meet the laureates
“Sonia Gil completed a PhD in Chemical Engineering, Environment and Materials at the University of Castilla La Mancha in Ciudad-Real (Spain), advised by Prof. José Luis Valverde Palomino (development of carbon-based catalytic materials for glycerol valorization). She then conducted a postdoctoral fellowship from 2012 to 2014 at IRCELYON, in the group of Prof. Anne Giroir-Fendler, focusing on coupling DeNOx functions with a diesel particulate filtration system. Since September 2014, she has been an associate professor at Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL1) and IRCELYON, where her work primarily addresses the treatment of air pollutants from fixed and mobile sources (volatile organic compounds, NOx, ozone), focusing on material development and reaction mechanisms. Since 2021, Sonia Gil Villarino has co-coordinated the CARE team; she has played a key role in numerous national and international projects both as principal investigator (ANR JCJC CHARO, 2019–2023) and participant. Since 2024, she has led the Master 1 Chemistry program at UCBL1. She is deeply committed to supervision (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD students) and is co-author of 52 publications and a European patent. Beyond research, she served as treasurer of the GECat (Catalysis Study Group) from 2020 to 2025.”
“Cyril Hachemi holds a degree in chemical engineering from the École Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Montpellier (ENSCM). He pursued his academic path with two years of research Master’s at Deakin University (Geelong, Australia), studying the impact of microplastics on membrane systems. He completed his PhD at IRCELYON (2022–2025) under the supervision of Luis Cardenas, Mathieu Prévot, and Christophe Geantet, focusing on the development of titanium- and lanthanide-based photoelectrodes for solar-to-hydrogen conversion. His work also explored the correlation between electronic structure and photoelectrochemical activity, using techniques such as ex situ and in situ photoemission, notably at synchrotron facilities. Currently, he continues his research as a postdoctoral fellow at IRCELYON, developing high-entropy phosphors for anti-counterfeiting applications.”
