Ilme Schlichting receives the Spiers Memorial Award 2018

Max Planck chemist wins prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry Award

May 08, 2018
Professor Ilme Schlichting, who is one of the directors at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, is the Royal Society of Chemistry Spiers Memorial Award winner for 2018. She heads the Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms.

Professor Schlichting’s work focuses on finding the best ways to observe proteins at work. Similar to the study of other machines, one needs to see them in action to understand their mechanism. This is not only interesting from a basic science point of view but can also help to optimize their properties for improved applications. However, due to the fleeting nature of reaction intermediates their observation is not straightforward.

She said: “I am very honored and grateful to have been selected to receive the 2018 Spiers Memorial Award. It acknowledges our interdisciplinary joint group effort over the years to develop methods and tools to understand enzyme mechanism and protein dynamics by observing and analysing short-lived reaction intermediates.”

The Spiers Memorial Award is presented in recognition of an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of a Faraday Discussion. Faraday Discussions are unique international discussion meetings that focus on rapidly developing areas of chemistry and its interfaces with other scientific disciplines. Each one is opened by an introductory lecturer who sets the scene for the discussion.

Professor Schlichting receives £2000 and a medal, which will be presented at the conference dinner during the Faraday Discussion at which she will be presenting.

Dr Robert Parker, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry said:

“The chemical sciences are vital for the wellbeing of our world and chemical scientists help to change people’s lives for the better. That’s why we’re so proud to celebrate the innovation and expertise of our community through our Prizes and Awards.

“This year’s inspiring and influential winners come from a range of specialisms, backgrounds, countries and communities. Each has done their bit to advance excellence in the chemical sciences – to improve the lives of people around the world now and in the future.”

Our winners are recognised for the originality and impact of their research, or for their contributions to the chemical sciences industry or chemistry education. The Awards also acknowledge the importance of teamwork across the chemical sciences, and the abilities of individuals to develop successful collaborations.

An illustrious list of 50 previous winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Awards have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including 2016 Nobel laureates Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Fraser Stoddart and Ben Feringa.

Royal Society of Chemistry

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