Prof. Martín in his office.
Nagoya University, in Japan, recently awarded Prof. Rubén Martín (ICIQ Group Leader and ICREA Professor) the 14th Hirata Award. This award is presented each year to a rising star in the field of organic chemistry. Prof. Martín receives it in recognition of his contribution to the «discovery and development of synthetically useful organometallic methodologies» and will deliver a talk on October 4th 2018 at Nagoya University.
Prof. Rubén Martín is the first Spanish chemist ever to win this award, which acknowledges his research on the development ofnew catalytic methods for the synthesis of relevant molecules through the activation of inert entities, such as carbon dioxide and C–H, C–C or C–O bonds. The methodologies developed by Martín and his group are highly desirable, as traditional methods require stoichiometric amounts of metal complexes or harsh conditions. Furthermore, Prof. Martín likes to provide insight into the mechanism of these metal-catalyzed reactions, which will be relevant for devising applications of his chemistry.
The award was originally established to honour the memory of Yoshimasa Hirata, Honorary Professor of Nagoya University. Dr. Hirata is known for the discovery of many natural products, including tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin found in puffer fish, and has contributed greatly to the advancement of natural product chemistry. He has also been the supervisor of many prestigious organic chemists, including 2008 Nobel Laurate Osamu Shimomura.