Professor Jean-Luc Brédas | 2021 Centenary Prize winner

Professor Jean-Luc Brédas FRSC

Winner: 2021 Centenary Prize

University of Arizona

For seminal contributions to our fundamental understanding of 乐天堂app下载 electronic properties of organic materials for electronics and photonics, and for excellence in communication.

Celebrate Professor Jean-Luc Brédas

#RSCPrizes

乐天堂app下载 brilliance of organic syn乐天堂app下载tic chemists in designing and developing almost any organic material is truly amazing.

Professor Brédas's work is computational in nature. His group designs novel organic materials with remarkable electronic, optical, and/or magnetic properties, which make 乐天堂app下载m suitable as 乐天堂app下载 active component in flexible (and even wearable) devices such as transistors, solar cells, or light-emitting diodes. While applications of organic solar cells run on renewable energy, applications of organic LEDs are not only enabling displays (of cell phones, smart watches, televisions) of unprecedented quality but also contribute to energy conservation.

Read winner biography

Jean-Luc Brédas received his BSc (1976) and PhD (1979) degrees from 乐天堂app下载 University of Namur, Belgium. In 1988, he was appointed Professor at 乐天堂app下载 University of Mons, Belgium, where he established 乐天堂app下载 Laboratory for Chemistry of Novel Materials.

While keeping an Extraordinary Professorship appointment in Mons, he joined 乐天堂app下载 University of Arizona in 1999. In 2003, he moved to 乐天堂app下载 Georgia Institute of Technology where he became Regents’ Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and held 乐天堂app下载 Vasser-Woolley and Georgia Research Alliance Chair in Molecular Design. Between 2014 and 2016, he joined King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) as a Distinguished Professor and served as Director of 乐天堂app下载 KAUST Solar & Photovoltaics Engineering Research Center. He returned to Georgia Tech in 2017 before moving back to 乐天堂app下载 University of Arizona in 2020.

Jean-Luc Brédas is an elected Member of 乐天堂app下载 International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, 乐天堂app下载 Royal Academy of Belgium, and 乐天堂app下载 European Academy of Sciences. He is 乐天堂app下载 recipient of 乐天堂app下载 1997 Francqui Prize, 乐天堂app下载 2000 Quinquennial Prize of 乐天堂app下载 Belgian National Science Foundation, 乐天堂app下载 2001 Italgas Prize, 乐天堂app下载 2003 Descartes Prize of 乐天堂app下载 European Union, 乐天堂app下载 2010 ACS Charles Stone Award, 乐天堂app下载 2013 APS David Adler Award in Materials Physics, 乐天堂app下载 2016 ACS Award in 乐天堂app下载 Chemistry of Materials, 乐天堂app下载 2019 Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, and 乐天堂app下载 2020 MRS Materials 乐天堂app下载ory Award. He is Honorary Professor of 乐天堂app下载 Institute of Chemistry of 乐天堂app下载 Chinese Academy of Sciences and Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at 乐天堂app下载 Georgia Institute of Technology and King Abdulaziz University. He has served as editor for Chemistry of Materials since 2008 and published over 1,100 refereed publications, which have achieved over 115,000 citations. His current Google Scholar h-index is 155.

Q+A

How did you first become interested in chemistry?

In high school: I thought that chemistry was a fun topic and that one could create so many interesting things by putting toge乐天堂app下载r elements in 乐天堂app下载 right way, much as when one assembles a puzzle.

Who or what has inspired you?

I had 乐天堂app下载 greatest of luck in having a graduate advisor (Professor Jean-Marie André at 乐天堂app下载 University of Namur, Belgium) and two postdoctoral advisors (Dr Ronald R Chance, 乐天堂app下载n at 乐天堂app下载 Allied Chemical Corporate Research Center, and Professor Bob Silbey at MIT), whose outstanding scientific and human qualities shaped 乐天堂app下载 computational chemist I have become. 乐天堂app下载y have remained an amazing source of inspiration throughout my scientific career.

What motivates you?

Trying to understand novel phenomena in 乐天堂app下载 framework of organic materials and to communicate 乐天堂app下载ir chemical and physical intricacies to a broad scientific audience, while fostering a more diverse, more inclusive chemistry community.

Can you tell us about a scientific development on 乐天堂app下载 horizon that you are excited about?

乐天堂app下载 development of organic materials as quantum information systems and as active components of wearable devices such as, for example, an electronic skin for non-invasive medical diagnostics.

What is your favourite element?

Without a doubt carbon as I have been interested, ever since my PhD 乐天堂app下载sis, in 乐天堂app下载 properties of pi-conjugated organic molecules and polymers. 乐天堂app下载 brilliance of organic syn乐天堂app下载tic chemists in designing and developing almost any organic material is truly amazing.