walter kohn prize
The prize for quantum-mechanical materials and molecular modeling, jointly instituted and co-funded by ICTP and the Quantum ESPRESSO Foundation is awarded biennially to a young scientist for outstanding contributions in the field of quantum-mechanical materials and molecular modeling, performed in a developing country or emerging economy, with emphasis on first-principles techniques.
The Prize is usually awarded to one person, but may be shared equally among recipients who have contributed to the same body of work. The Prize consists of:
- a cash award of €2000
- a citation
- an invitation to attend the award ceremony and deliver an award lecture at ICTP
Because of the ongoing pandemic, and the consequent abbreviated and online format of the Total Energy conference where the price was supposed to be awarded, the Walter Kohn prize committee decided to postpone it. The next prize will be awarded in 2023, and we invite applications from young scientists working in developing countries. Further details will be advertised at a later date.
The price last edition
The 2018 Walter Kohn Prize for quantum-mechanical materials and molecular modeling has been awarded to Professor Gabriel Merino, a researcher from Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav), Unidad Mérida, Mexico. The prize recognizes his pioneering work on predicting and understanding novel systems that violate standard chemical paradigms, and for generalizing and broadening the scope of concepts such as aromaticity, coordination and the chemical bond.