WASHINGTON, D.C. – Christian Decker, Director of Research at the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in Strasbourg, France, will receive the Roy W. Tess Award in Coatings for 2009.

Decker is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts in the area of radiation-induced reactions in polymeric materials. His main research interests are in ultrafast light-induced polymerizations, the synthesis and characterization of UV-cured coatings and nanocomposite materials, photostabilization of polymers, and laser-assisted chemical processing of polymers. He has contributed over 300 publications, patents and book chapters to the coatings and scientific literature, as well as given more than 300 lectures at scientific meetings. Decker is a member of the American Chemical Society, Radtech International, RadTech Europe, French Society of Polymers and the French Society of Chemistry.