Dr Lars Goerigk receives the Le Fèvre Medal from the Australian Academy of Science
Dr Goerigk was awarded for his work in Density Functional Theory and his guidelines in computational strategies.
DFT is a major computational chemistry technique used routinely by chemists to support experiments and predict their outcomes.
Currently, DFT involves hundreds of methods with varying accuracy, making their reliable application difficult. Dr Goerigk's work has helped solve this dilemma by providing new guidelines for easier and robust computational strategies. His methods are now some of the most accurate in the field. He has used them to provide chemists with new insights into the interactions between molecules that affect the outcome of chemical reactions.
Dr Goerigk's contributions also include the development of an improved way to determine biomolecular structures, more reliable analyses of reaction mechanisms, and predictions leading to the development of novel smart technologies. Dr Goerigk's work has had substantial international impact and will influence how chemists will use DFT in the future.
Le Fèvre Medal is for research in chemistry and commemorates the work of the late Professor Raymond James Wood Le Fèvre FAA FRS. It is awarded annually at a Royal Australian Chemical Institute function and recognises outstanding basic research in chemistry.
Congratulations to Dr Goerigk for this fantastic achievement.