Janssen Prize for Frank Glorius
Prof. Dr. Frank Glorius, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Münster, will receive the Janssen Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis. The award, endowed with 20,000 euros, recognises internationally outstanding achievements in the research field of organic synthesis, which are of particular importance for the development of new drugs. Frank Glorius is an internationally leading and particularly innovative scientist in the field of organic synthesis and catalysis, according to the jury's statement.
The Janssen Prize for Creativity in Organic Synthesis has been awarded every two years since 1986 at the "Belgian Organic Synthesis Symposium" to a chemist under the age of 50. This year's symposium will take place from 3 to 8 July in Namur, Belgium. The Janssen Prize is funded by the pharmaceutical research company Janssen Research & Development.
Research and vita of Frank Glorius
A central topic of Frank Glorius' research is the use of visible light. In the presence of suitable catalysts, this allows a particularly gentle activation of organic molecules. Another research focus is the hydrogenation of aromatic compounds. In this difficult but equally important class of reactions, Frank Glorius' working group is considered a world leader. The resulting functionalised cyclic products are potentially important building blocks for various fields of application, such as the production of drugs. One focus of research is also the development and use of so-called N-heterocyclic carbenes. These are a particularly reactive class of organic compounds.
Frank Glorius has been a professor at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at University of Münster since 2007. He has already received numerous national and international awards, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation in 2013 and an Advanced Grant from the European Research Council in 2018. He has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina since 2021. The international ranking portal "AcademicInfluence" ranks Frank Glorius among the 40 most influential chemists worldwide for the years 2010-2020.