Four recipients of the EuChemS Awards for Service have received their awards at the 8th EuChemS Chemistry Congress in Lisbon, Portugal, on September 1, 2022. Livia Simon Sarkadi, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Budapest, Szent István University, Gödöllő, Hungary, and Corvinus University of Budapest is the 2021 awardee. Antonio Laganà, University of Perugia, Italy, and Jan Mehlich, University of Bonn, Germany, are the 2020 awardees. Ehud Keinan, President of the Israel Chemical Society and Emeritus at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, is the 2019 awardee.
The EuChemS Award for Service acknowledges outstanding commitment with regard to fostering chemistry and molecular sciences in Europe, as well as the goals of EuChemS.
Livia Simon Sarkadi
Livia Simon Sarkadi was a EuChemS Executive Board Member until 2021 and has over two decades of experience working with the society. As a researcher, she contributed to food quality and food safety sciences, with a particular emphasis on amino acids and biogenic amines, and on biochemical aspects of abiotic plant stress. She also promotes international collaboration and equality in the chemical sciences. As the first female President of the Hungarian Chemistry Society, she focused on strengthening connections with other national and international chemistry organizations across Europe. She is the editor of the book European Women in Chemistry.
Sarkadi graduated as a chemical engineer from the Technical University of Budapest (BUTE) in 1980. She received a doctorate in biochemistry from BUTE in 1986 and a Candidate of Science degree in Food Chemistry from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) in 1991. She received a Dr. habil. from BUTE in 1999 and a DSc degree in chemical sciences from HAS in 2010. Since 2012, she has been a Full Professor and Head of the Department of Food Chemistry and Nutrition in the Faculty of Food Science, Corvinus University of Budapest, since 2016, she has served as Department Head at Szent István University, and since 2021, she is Full Professor at the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Department of Nutrition.
Antonio Laganà
Antonio Laganà is a former member of the EuChemS Executive Board and served two terms as Chair of the EuChemS Division of Computational and Theoretical Chemistry. He has contributed to the chemistry community in Europe and beyond with both his scientific achievements and services to the community. For example, he was the driving force behind the COMPCHEM Virtual Organization which allowed the participation of the computational chemistry community in major European projects. In addition, he is the founding editor of the online scientific magazine VIRT&L-COMM, which offers a forum for work carried out by the “Virtual Innovation, Research, Teaching & Learning Communities”. He has also played an important role in the success of the Erasmus Mundus Master TCCM (Theoretical Chemistry and Computational Modelling) program, which provides training for computational chemists at an international level.
His scientific interests include the development of theoretical and computational approaches with an emphasis on the study of dynamics and kinetics of both simple and complex systems, the rationalization of experimental outcomes with particular concern for molecular-beam data, and the implementation of tools for collaborative computing, virtual environments, and virtual communities operating on high-performance and high-throughput distributed platforms.
Laganà, born in Como, Italy, in 1944, graduated with a degree in chemistry in 1969 from the University of Perugia, Italy. There, after serving in the army from 1970 to 1971, he performed research with Professor V. Aquilanti from 1972 to 1976. He then saved for two years as a research assistant in Manchester, UK, working with J. N. L. Connor. Laganà became a Lecturer in Chemical Kinetics in 1979, Associate Professor in Physical Chemistry in 1985, and finally Full Professor in General and Inorganic Chemistry in 1994 at the University of Perugia, where he remained until his retirement.
Jan Mehlich
Jan Mehlich is a science and technology ethicist with an educational background in chemistry. His academic interest is in value co-creation processes and the role of scientists, engineers, designers, and other innovators in the discourse on sustainable scientific and technological progress. He is also a member of the EuChemS Working Party on Ethics in Chemistry.
He has developed an online course called Good Chemistry – Methodological, Ethical, and Social Implications. This course aims to contribute to an integral education on good and ethical chemistry practices for students, as they are future decision-makers in academia, industry, and society. Its content relates to science conduct, logic and theory of science, experimentation, professional and public communication of science, risk and uncertainty, sustainability, and social impact of chemical activity. Around 400 students have registered for this free online course, thus contributing to the dissemination of ethical chemistry conduct, the increasing impact of EuChemS’ activities, and the enhancement of chemistry and EuChemS’ profile.
Mehlich studied chemistry at the University of Münster, Germany. He received a master’s degree in applied ethics in 2009 and a Ph.D. for work on surface patterning by microcontact printing from the same university in 2011. Jan Mehlich worked as an Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) researcher on nanoparticles for medical applications at the Europäische Akademie zur Erforschung von Folgen wissenschaftlich-technischer Entwicklungen, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler GmbH, Bad Neuenahr-Ahrweiler, Germany, before taking up a postdoctoral position at National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, in 2015. He then served as Adjunct Assistant Professor at Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan from 2017 to 2018 and as Assistant Professor at Feng Chia University, Taichung, Taiwan, from 2018 to 2020. Since 2021, Mehlich works as a Researcher at the University of Bonn, Germany.
Ehud Keinan
Ehud Keinan worked for EuChemS as an Executive Board member from 2011 to 2015. He successfully managed to broaden and increase the impact of EuChemS’ activities and enhance the profile of chemistry and EuChemS. His research areas include catalysis with antibodies, synthetic enzymes, organic synthesis, molecular computing, supra-molecular chemistry, and drug discovery.
Keinan received a master’s degree from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheba, Israel, in 1973 and his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel, in 1977. He served as Professor at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, from 1987 until his retirement and as Professor at the Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA, from 1991 to 2014. Keinan has served as President of the Israelian Chemical Society since 2009 and has been named President-Elect of IUPAC. He will take over the IUPAC Presidency in 2024.
Among other honors, Keinan has received the New England Award for Academic Excellence in 1990, the Shannon Award in 1992, the Technion Prize for Security Technologies in 2004, and the Henri Taub Prize for Academic Excellence in 2006.
Selected Publications by Livia Simon Sarkadi
- Light intensity and spectrum affect metabolism of glutathione and amino acids at transcriptional level,
Rajagopal Subramanyam, Dávid Toldi, Mónika Gyugos, Éva Darkó, Gabriella Szalai, Zsolt Gulyás, Krisztián Gierczik, András Székely, Ákos Boldizsár, Gábor Galiba, Maria Müller, Livia Simon-Sarkadi, Gábor Kocsy,
PLOS ONE 2019, 14, e0227271.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227271 - Amino acids and biogenic amines as food quality factors,
Livia Simon Sarkadi,
Pure Appl. Chem. 2019, 91, 289–300.
https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2018-0709 - Amino Acids as Food Quality Factors in Parmigiano Reggiano Hard Cheese,
Franco Bellesia, Adriano Pinetti, Livia Simon-Sarkadi, Claudia Zucchi, János Csapó, Bart Weimer, Luciano Caglioti, Gyula Pályi,
Advances in Asymmetric Autocatalysis and Related Topics 2017, 357–367.
https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812824-4.00019-8 - Different Accumulation of Free Amino Acids during Short- and Long-Term Osmotic Stress in Wheat,
Zita Kovács, Livia Simon-Sarkadi, Ildikó Vashegyi, Gábor Kocsy,
Sci. World J. 2012, 2012, 1–10.
https://doi.org/10.1100/2012/216521 - European Women in Chemistry,
Jan Apotheker, Livia Simon Sarkadi (Eds.),
Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, 2011.
ISBN: 9783527636457 - Deletions of chromosome 5A affect free amino acid and polyamine levels in wheat subjected to salt stress,
Livia Simon-Sarkadi, Gábor Kocsy, Zoltán Sebestyén, Gábor Galiba,
Environ. Exp. Bot. 2007, 60, 193–201.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envexpbot.2006.10.002
Selected Publications by Antonio Laganà
- A quantum–classical study of the effect of the long range tail of the potential on reactive and inelastic OH + H2 dynamics,
Carles Martì, Antonio Laganà, Leonardo Pacifici, Fernando Pirani, Cecilia Coletti,
Chem. Phys. Lett. 2021, 769, 138404.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cplett.2021.138404 - Methane production by CO2 hydrogenation reaction with and without solid phase catalysis,
Stefano Falcinelli, Andrea Capriccioli, Fernando Pirani, Franco Vecchiocattivi, Stefano Stranges, Carles Martì, Andrea Nicoziani, Emanuele Topini, Antonio Laganà,
Fuel 2017, 209, 802–811.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2017.07.109 - The role of the long-range tail of the potential in O2 + N2 collisional inelastic vibrational energy transfers,
Ernesto Garcia, Fernando Pirani, Antonio Laganà, Carles Martí,
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2017, 19, 11206–11211.
https://doi.org/10.1039/c7cp01340j - A full dimensional grid empowered simulation of the CO2 + CO2 processes,
Massimiliano Bartolomei, Fernando Pirani, Antonio Laganà, Andrea Lombardi,
J. Comp. Chem. 2012, 33, 1806–1819.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jcc.23010 - Anion-Dependent Tendency of Di-Long-Chain Quaternary Ammonium Salts to Form Ion Quadruples and Higher Aggregates in Benzene,
Luca Rocchigiani, Gianfranco Bellachioma, Gianluca Ciancaleoni, Stefano Crocchianti, Antonio Laganà, Cristiano Zuccaccia, Daniele Zuccaccia, Alceo Macchioni,
ChemPhysChem 2010, 11, 3243–3254.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cphc.201000530 - Modeling the global potential energy surface of the N + N2 reaction from ab initio data,
Ernesto Garcia, Amaia Saracibar, Susana Gómez-Carrasco, Antonio Laganà,
Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2008, 10, 2552–2558.
https://doi.org/10.1039/b800593a
Selected Publications by Jan Mehlich
- Navigating in the Vastness – Making Sense of the Dynamics of Consumer Choices,
Jan Mehlich, Mitchell M. Tseng,
Innovating in the Open Lab, 2020.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110633665-019 - Chemistry and Dual Use: From Scientific Integrity to Social Responsibility,
Jan Mehlich,
Helv. Chim. Acta 2018, 101, e1800098.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hlca.201800098 - “Is, ought, should”—scientists’ role in discourse on the ethical and social implications of science and technology,
Jan Mehlich,
Palgrave Commun. 2017.
https://doi.org/10.1057/palcomms.2017.6 - Ethics, Chemistry, and Education for Sustainability,
Hartmut Frank, Luigi Campanella, Francesco Dondi, Jan Mehlich, Erich Leitner, Giuseppe Rossi, Karine Ndjoko Ioset, Gerhard Bringmann,
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2011, 50, 8482–8490.
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201007599 - Click chemistry by microcontact printing on self-assembled monolayers: A structure–reactivity study by fluorescence microscopy,
Jan Mehlich, Bart Jan Ravoo,
Org. Biomol. Chem. 2011, 9, 4108.
https://doi.org/10.1039/c1ob05187c - Bacterial Motility and Clustering Guided by Microcontact Printing,
Claudia Holz, Dirk Opitz, Jan Mehlich, Bart Jan Ravoo, Berenike Maier,
Nano Lett. 2009, 9, 4553–4557.
https://doi.org/10.1021/nl903153c
Selected Publications by Ehud Keinan
- Semiaza-Bambusurils are anion-specific transmembrane transporters,
Raman Khurana, Feihu Yang, Rishu Khurana, Junqiu Liu, Ehud Keinan, Ofer Reany,
Chem. Commun. 2022, 58, 3150–3153.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d2cc00144f - Flat corannulene: when a transition state becomes a stable molecule,
Ephrath Solel, Doron Pappo, Ofer Reany, Tom Mejuch, Renana Gershoni-Poranne, Mark Botoshansky, Amnon Stanger, Ehud Keinan,
Chem. Sci. 2020, 11, 13015–13025.
https://doi.org/10.1039/d0sc04566g - Equatorial Sulfur Atoms in Bambusurils Spawn Cavity Collapse,
Pravat Mondal, Ephrath Solel, Shubhanjan Mitra, Ehud Keinan, Ofer Reany,
Org. Lett. 2019, 22, 204–208.
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.orglett.9b04166 - Pancreatic β-Cell Neogenesis by Direct Conversion from Mature α-Cells,
Cheng-Ho Chung, Ergeng Hao, Ron Piran, Ehud Keinan, Fred Levine,
Stem Cells 2010, 28, 1630–1638.
https://doi.org/10.1002/stem.482 - Traceless Ligation of Cysteine Peptides Using Selective Deselenization,
Norman Metanis, Ehud Keinan, Philip E. Dawson,
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49, 7049–7053.
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201001900 - Synthetic Seleno-Glutaredoxin 3 Analogues Are Highly Reducing Oxidoreductases with Enhanced Catalytic Efficiency,
Norman Metanis, Ehud Keinan, Philip E. Dawson,
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 16684–16691.
https://doi.org/10.1021/ja0661414
Also of Interest
- New IUPAC President – Enhorabuena, Javier!,
ChemistryViews 2022.
Javier García-Martínez will be IUPAC President from 2022 to 2023 - Bringing Ethics in Chemistry to Universities,
ChemistryViews 2018.
https://doi.org/10.1002/chemv.201800076
Dr. Jan Mehlich has recorded a unique online class on ethics in chemistry - EuCheMS Award for Service,
ChemistryViews 2016.
Helena Grennberg honored for outstanding commitment to fostering chemistry and molecular sciences in Europe - First Female President of the Hungarian Chemical Society,
ChemistryViews 2015.
https://doi.org/10.1002/chemv.201500080
Newly re-elected President, Livia Sarkadi, about chemistry in Hungary, her experience in societal work, and women in chemistry - Potential and Challenges of e-Testing in Chemistry,
ChemistryViews 2014.
https://doi.org/10.1002/chemv.201400101
A. Laganà was involved in the development and implementation of the EChemTest of the European Chemistry Thematic Network (ECTN)
