Professor Avelino Corma from Instituto de Tecnología Química UPV-CSIC is the Royal Society of Chemistry Spiers Memorial Award winner for 2016.
Professor Avelino Corma from Instituto de Tecnología Química UPV-CSIC is the Royal Society of Chemistry Spiers Memorial Award winner for 2016.
A profilic author and researcher, who has published over 900 papers and holds more than 150 patents, Professor Corma works on the design of solid catalysts – materials that accelerate chemical reactions and direct the formation of the desired product. His research aims to design catalysts for specific reactions, by attempting to unravel how the reactants and the surface of the catalyst interact at the molecular level.
The Spiers Memorial Award is presented to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to a field of chemistry relevant to a Faraday Discussion. The Faraday Discussions are unique international discussion meetings that focus on rapidly developing areas of chemistry and its interfaces with other scientific disciplines. The Spiers Memorial Award is presented once a year to the introductory lecturers who are likely to provide the most stimulating and wide-ranging introduction to the discussion.
An illustrious list of 47 previous winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Awards have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including Harry Kroto, Fred Sanger and Linus Pauling.
Professor Corma receives the prize, which will be presented at the conference dinner of the Faraday Discussion in which he will be speaking. This award is to commemorate Frederick S Spiers, born 21 October 1875, best known for his work as Secretary of the Faraday Society, which he helped to found in 1902.
Professor Corma commented: “To receive the Spiers Memorial Award is a great honour, but it is already a big reward to participate in the Faraday Discussion.”
Dr Robert Parker, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry said: “It is an honour to recognise the illustrious achievements of our prize and award winners in our 175 th anniversary year.
“We were founded in 1841 by a group of academics, industrialists and doctors who understood the power of the chemical sciences to change our world for the better. Our winners share that vision and are advancing excellence in their fields, whether through innovative research or inspirational teaching and outreach.
“We are proud to celebrate and support the work of inspiring and influential individuals, whose work has the potential to improve so many lives.”
Award winners are evaluated for the originality and impact of their research, as well as the quality of the results which can be shown in publications, patents, or even software. The awards also recognise the importance of teamwork across the chemical sciences, and the abilities of individuals to develop successful collaborations.
