Winner: 2023 Organic Chemistry open Prize: Pedler Prize
Antonio Echavarren
Institut Català d'Investigació Química
For pioneering contributions to 乐天堂app下载 field of organic chemistry employing gold catalysis.
Professor Echavarren鈥檚 team in Tarragona has discovered a new reactivity of gold that can be easily applied for 乐天堂app下载 construction of complex organic molecules of relevance in biology or materials science.
Biography
Professor Antonio M Echavarren obtained his PhD in 1982 from 乐天堂app下载 Universidad Aut贸noma de Madrid (UAM). After a postdoctoral stay at Boston College, he joined 乐天堂app下载 UAM as an assistant professor in 1984. Following a two-year period as a NATO-fellow at Colorado State University, he joined 乐天堂app下载 Institute of Organic Chemistry of 乐天堂app下载 Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Madrid. He returned in 1992 to 乐天堂app下载 UAM as Professor of Organic Chemistry. He has also been Professor of Research of 乐天堂app下载 CSIC since 2004. In 乐天堂app下载 same year, Antonio moved to Tarragona as Group Leader at 乐天堂app下载 Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ). Antonio鈥檚 awards include 乐天堂app下载 Gold Medal of 乐天堂app下载 RSEQ (2010), 乐天堂app下载 Arthur C Cope Scholar Award (2015), 乐天堂app下载 Enrique Moles National Award in Chemical Science and Technology (2022). He also received two ERC Advanced Grants (2013 and 2019). Antonio is 乐天堂app下载 President of 乐天堂app下载 Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry.
Q&A with Professor Antonio Echavarren
How did you first become interested in chemistry?
I was already interested in chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 age of 9. As a teenager, I use to play with chemicals at home. Later, I was also interested in biology, but, finally, I found chemistry more fascinating.
What motivates you?
What motivates me is curiosity and 乐天堂app下载 desire to learn. This includes chemistry, literature, music, and 乐天堂app下载 wonders of 乐天堂app下载 natural world through photography.
Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?
A particularly exciting scientific development in chemistry would be 乐天堂app下载 creation of entirely artificial life.