Markus Antonietti Awarded Prestigious Solvay Chair in Chemistry

Our director, Markus Antonietti, has joined the distinguished group of scientists who have been awarded the prestigious Solvay Chair in Chemistry. Since 2006, this award has recognized exceptionally curious minds in the field of chemistry, turning Ernest Solvay's pioneering efforts in transnational cooperation and scientific exchange into an established reality.

Prof. Antonietti embarked on an enriching “tour of Belgium,” beginning with a public inaugural lecture at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, followed by visits to research groups at the same university and those of Ghent, Louvain la Neuve, Mons, and Leuven. The common thread of his lectures was the "black magic" of carbon materials, which can replace transition metals as catalysts for some of the most relevant reactions, thus revolutionizing chemistry and making it greener.

To see black (carbons) as the new green (catalysts), Antonietti encouraged his colleagues to approach chemistry like art: with an inquisitive mind and a creative touch.