John Scully, Charles Henderson Chaired Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at UVA, is one of two Virginia researchers selected for the Southeastern Universities Research Association’s 2026 SURA Distinguished Scientist Award. Virginia Tech’s Sophia Economou, the T. Marshall Hahn Chair in Physics, also is a recipient.
In a news release announcing the award — SURA’s highest honor, which recognizes research scientists who embody its mission of collaboration and scientific excellence — the association cited Scully’s global reputation as an expert in corrosion.
Scully’s contributions to the understanding of materials degradation in harsh environments are significant across applications that impact human health, national defense, and energy and transportation infrastructure. His work has led to the invention of alloys for mitigation of viral transmission, legacy lead pipe corrosion and subsequent lead exposure, and damage in aircraft and marine vehicles.
“Corrosion mitigation is an important step in materials sustainability, ensuring systems from drinking water to maritime shipping are safe and economical,” said Elizabeth Opila, the Rolls Royce Commonwealth Professor of Engineering and chair of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “John has long been a leader in this area of research. I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honor.”
He has played a key role on several National Academy of Engineering study groups, most recently regarding the root cause of failure and collapse of the Arecibo Space Telescope .
Scully is a member of the Virginia Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and a fellow of the Electrochemical Society, ASM International and National Association of Engineers, among other national and international professional societies.
He is also the recipient a numerous honors and awards from these organizations, including NACE’s T.J. Hull Award for Outstanding Contributions and Excellence in Publications as the technical editor-in-chief of the journal Corrosion and the W.R. Whitney Award for career achievements, the Electrochemical Society’s Henry B. Linford Award for Teaching Excellence and H.H. Uhlig Award for scientific advances in corrosion science.
Scully has collaborated on major research efforts such as irradiation effects of corrosion in nuclear reactors with Los Alamos National Laboratories and additively manufactured alloys with the Naval Research and Development Establishment. A recent study on corrosion of engineered reactor materials in Generation IV nuclear reactors involving harsh molten salt-type coolants appeared in the Nature journal Materials Degradation .
At UVA he is co-director of the Center for Electrochemical Science and Engineering . His research has led to over 30,000 citations and is funded through government and private partners, including DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency; NASA; the Office of Naval Research; and the Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences program; and companies such as Axalta Coating Systems.
Throughout his tenure, Scully has collaborated widely and mentored many early-career trainees, including nearly 50 Ph.D. students in materials science and engineering. This has helped foster a global network of researchers. He has mentored five professors now at work in five different countries.
“Materials science is like a team sport these days,” Scully said. “And that’s what is so much fun — being part of a big team with every level of expertise over many broad areas.”
The award recipients will be honored at the SURA Annual Meeting in September .