Ben Feringa

Ben L. Feringa obtained his PhD degree at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands under the guidance of Professor Hans Wynberg. After working as a research scientist at Shell in the Netherlands and at the Shell Biosciences Centre in the UK, he was appointed lecturer and in 1988 full professor at the University of Groningen and named the Jacobus H. van't Hoff Distinguished Professor of Molecular Sciences in 2004. He was elected Foreign Honory member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. In 2008 he was appointed Academy Professor and was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands. He is the 2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, together with Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Jean-Pierre Sauvage, for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.

Feringa's research has been recognized with a number of awards including the Spinoza Award (2004), the Prelog gold medal (2005), the Norrish Award of the ACS (2007), the Paracelsus medal (2008), the Chirality medal (2009), the RSC Organic Stereochemistry Award (2011), Humboldt Award (2012), the Grand Prix Scientifique Cino del Duca (French Academy 2012), the Marie Curie medal (2013) and the Solvay Chemistry for the Future Award (2015). He is a member of the ERC research council. His research interests include stereochemistry, organic synthesis, asymmetric catalysis, photopharmacology, molecular switches and motors, self-assembly and molecular nanosystems.

Academic and industrial career


1969-1978
Undergraduate and graduate studies in chemistry, University of Groningen
PhD at Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Groningen, Thesis: Asymmetric Oxidations of Phenols; supervisor Prof. Dr. Hans Wynberg

1978-1982        
Research Chemist (organic synthesis, oxidation processes, photochemistry), Royal Dutch Shell, Shell Laboratories, Amsterdam.

1979-1982        
Lecturer Amsterdam (Hogere Analistenschool).

1982-1983        
Research Chemist (Bioorganic Chemistry), Shell Biosciences Laboratories, Sittingbourne, UK.

1983-1984        
Project Leader Homogeneous Catalysis, Shell Research Laboratories, Amsterdam.

1984-1988        
Lecturer Organic Chemistry, University of Groningen.

1988-        
Appointed successor of Prof. Dr. H. Wynberg; chair of Organic Chemistry, Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Groningen.

1991-1995        
Chairman Department Organic and Molecular Inorganic Chemistry

2003-2011        
Director Stratingh Institute for Chemistry

2003-        
Jacobus H. van 't Hoff Distinguished Professor of Molecular Sciences

2008-        
Academy Professor; Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences

2011-        
Hans Fischer Honorary Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies, TU Muenchen

Academic and industrial career


1969-1978
Undergraduate and graduate studies in chemistry, University of Groningen
PhD at Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Groningen, Thesis: Asymmetric Oxidations of Phenols; supervisor Prof. Dr. Hans Wynberg

1978-1982        
Research Chemist (organic synthesis, oxidation processes, photochemistry), Royal Dutch Shell, Shell Laboratories, Amsterdam.

1979-1982        
Lecturer Amsterdam (Hogere Analistenschool).

1982-1983        
Research Chemist (Bioorganic Chemistry), Shell Biosciences Laboratories, Sittingbourne, UK.

1983-1984        
Project Leader Homogeneous Catalysis, Shell Research Laboratories, Amsterdam.

1984-1988        
Lecturer Organic Chemistry, University of Groningen.

1988-        
Appointed successor of Prof. Dr. H. Wynberg; chair of Organic Chemistry, Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Groningen.

1991-1995        
Chairman Department Organic and Molecular Inorganic Chemistry

2003-2011        
Director Stratingh Institute for Chemistry

2003-        
Jacobus H. van 't Hoff Distinguished Professor of Molecular Sciences

2008-        
Academy Professor; Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences

2011-        
Hans Fischer Honorary Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies, TU Muenchen

Editorships and editorial boards

  • Chair Editorial Board Chemistry World, RSC
  • Founding Scientific Editor of the RSC journal Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry
  • Member Editorial Board Faraday Trans., Royal Society
  • Member Editorial Board Advanced Synthesis and Catalysis
  • Member Editorial Board Adv. Phys. Org. Chem.
  • Member Editorial Board Topics in Stereochemistry
  • Member Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Organic Chemistry
  • Former member International Advisory Board, Macromolecular Rapid Communications
  • International Advisory Board, Israel Journal of Chemistry

Memberships to academies

  • Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, USA
  • Foreign Associate of the National Academy of Science, USA
  • Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences KNAW
  • Member of the Netherlands Academy for Technology and Innovation (ACTI)
  • Member of the Academia Europeae
  • Member of the American Chemical Society
  • Member of the Royal Netherlands Chemical Society
  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry UK

Present and recent functions

  • Co-chair Origins Center, the Netherlands
  • Chair Executive Board National Advanced Research Center CBBC, the Netherlands
  • PI and board member Gravitation excellence program Functional Molecular Systems
  • Member Founder’s Assembly foundation Lindau Nobel Laureates Meetings
  • Member Recommendation Committee ‘De Jonge Onderzoekers’ (Young Researchers), the Netherlands
  • Former vice-president, chair Physical Division and member board KNAW; Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences
  • Former chairman board Chemistry Division, Netherlands Science Foundation NWO-CW
  • Former council member, Royal Society of Chemistry (UK)
  • Member publishing board RSC (UK)
  • Former management team NRSC-C Topresearch School Catalysis
  • Former board Catchbio National Program, co-program leader Fine Chemistry
  • Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, Trust leader
  • Former Member Executive Director’s ACS 2010 Board, American Chemical Society, USA
  • Member board H.J. Backer Foundation
  • Member board Havinga Foundation
  • International Conference on Chirality, member scientific committee
  • Member International Scientific Committee Photochemistry Conference
  • Member International Scientific Committee International CD Conferences
  • Member International Organizing Committee International IUPAC Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry (ICPOC)
  • Member Regiegroep Chemistry, The Netherlands
  • Member scientific evaluation committee Volkswagenstiftung, Germany
  • Member international scientific evaluation committee Max Planck Institutes 2014
  • Chair international Janssen Pharmaceutical Prize
  • Co-founder of the contract research company SELACT (now KIADIS)
  • Founder and director of the Center for Systems Chemistry at the University of Groningen
  • International Scientific Advisory Board Max-Planck Institute fuer Kohlenforschung, Muhlheim (former member and chair 2001-2005), Germany
  • Member International Scientific Evaluation Committee Wissenschaftsrat Germany 2007
  • President European Symposium on Organic Chemistry, ESOC-12, 2001, Groningen, the Netherlands
  • Member international scientific evaluation committee 2011, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • Member evaluation committee Topinitiatives DFG, Germany
  • Co-chair and Organizer International CD conference 2007 (with E.W. Meijer)
  • President 2009 Burgenstock Conference, Switzerland
  • Co-Chair and organiser ArmChemFront 2013 Conference
  • Former chair Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2010-2014

Awards

  • Honorary doctorate University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 2019
  • Honorary doctorate University of Johannesburg, South Africa, 2019
  • European Chemistry Gold Medal, 2018
  • Honorary member Israel Chemical Society, 2018
  • TUM Ambassador, Technical University München, Germany, 2017
  • Gerhard Ertl Lecture Award, Fritz Haber Institute Berlin, Germany, 2017
  • RSC Centenary Prize, UK, 2017
  • Honorary Citizen, Groningen, Natherlands, 2017
  • Honorary Citizen, Tynaarlo, Natherlands, 2017
  • Academy Society Award (KIVI), Netherlands, 2017
  • Member of the Order of the Dutch Lion, Royal decoration, 2016
  • Nobel Prize in Chemistry (with J. F. Stoddart and J.-P. Sauvage), 2016
  • Tetrahedron Prize for Creativity in Organic Chemistry, 2016
  • August Wilhelm von Hofmann Denkmünze, GDCh, 2016
  • Chemistry for the Future Solvay Prize, Brussels, Belgium, 2015
  • Arthur C. Cope Late Career Scholars Award, American Chemical Society, 2015
  • Netherlands Chemistry and Catalysis Award, 2015
  • Diels-Planck Award Lecture, Kiel, Germany, 2015
  • IOCF Yoshida Lectureship Award, Kyoto, Osaka, Japan, 2014
  • Theodor Förster Award, German Chemical Society (GDCh) & Bunsen-Society for Physical Chemistry, 2014
  • Nagoya Gold Medal, Nagoya, Japan, 2013
  • Yamada-Koga Prize, Tokyo, Japan, 2013
  • Marie Sklodowska-Curie Medal, highest distinction of Polish Chemical Society, Poland, 2013
  • Lilly European Distinguished Science Award, 2013
  • RSC Award for distinguished service, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, 2013
  • Co-recipient Netherlands Ministry of Science & Education/NWO gravity program grant (with E.W. Meijer, R. Nolte), 26 MEuro, 2013
  • Grand Prix Scientifique Cino del Duca, French Academy of Sciences, 2012
  • Humboldt Award, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany, 2012
  • RSC Organic Stereochemistry Award, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, 2011
  • Tetrahedron Chair at BOSS symposium, Belgium, 2012
  • Elected Vice-president of KNAW, Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, 2011
  • Van ‘t Hoff medal, Genootschap ter Bevordering van de Natuur-, Genees-, en Heelkunde, Netherlands, 2011
  • Elected member of the Academia Europeae, 2010
  • Chirality Medal, for distinguished contributions to all aspects of chirality, 2009
  • Elected President of Bürgenstock Conference, Switzerland, 2009
  • Paracelcus Award of the Swiss Chemical Society, for life-time achievement in chemistry, 2009
  • Elected member of the Netherlands Academy for Technology and Innovation
  • Recipient top-research grant ERC, European Research Council
  • Knighted by Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands, 2008
  • Appointed Academy Professor, Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, 2008
  • James Flack Norris Award in Physical Organic Chemistry of the American Chemical Society, USA, 2007
  • Elected Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, 2006
  • Prelog Gold Medal, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland, 2004
  • Solvias Ligand Contest Award (shared with J. Hartwig), Yale University, USA
  • Spinoza Award (most prestigious Netherlands science award), 2004
  • Elected Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 2004
  • Jacobus H. van‘t Hoff Distinguished Chair in Molecular Sciences, University of Groningen, 2003
  • Körber European Science Award for research on molecular motors, 2003
  • Guthikonda Award, Columbia University, USA, 2003
  • Novartis Chemistry Lectureship Award (in recognition of outstanding contributions to natural product synthesis and the development of new synthetic methodology) Switzerland, Austria, UK, USA, 2000-2001
  • Elected Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, 1998
  • Pino Gold Medal Italian, Chemical Society, 1997
  • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Fellowship Award and Lectureship, 1993

Visiting professorships and named lectureships

  • RSC Centenary Lecture, UK, 2018
  • 6th Jacobus C. Kapteyn Lecture, Groningen, Netherlands, 2018
  • Schrödinger Lecturer, Imperial College London, UK, 2018
  • Solvay Lectureship, Belgium, 2018
  • Honorary Professorship School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China, 2017
  • Honorary Professorship Institute for Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China, 2017
  • Distinguished Affiliate Professor Technical University München, Germany, 2017
  • Honorary Professorship South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China, 2017
  • Debye Lecturer, Utrecht University, Netherlands, 2017
  • Kekulé Lecture, University of Antwerp, Belgium, 2017
  • Barluenga Lectureship, Oviedo, Spain, 2017
  • Behringer Lecture, ETH, Zürich, Switzerland, 2017
  • Sigma-Aldrich Lectureship, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA, 2016
  • Diels-Planck Lecture, Kiel University, Germany, 2015
  • Vilsmeier Lecturer, University of Regensburg, Germany, 2015
  • Greynog Symposium, Angewandte Chemie Lecture, UK, 2015
  • Vilsmeier Lecturer, University of Regensburg, Germany, 2015
  • Siegfried Hünig Vorlesung, University of Würzburg, 2015
  • Jortner Lecturer, University of Tel Aviv, Israel, 2015
  • Inaugural ScotCHEM lecturer, Scottish Universities, UK, 2015
  • Theodor-Förster Gedachtnisvorlesung (Memorial Lecture) Photochemistry Division German Chemical Society, German Bunsen Society of Physical Chemistry, Germany 2014-2015
  • The Reuben Benjamin Sandin Lectureship, University of Alberta, Edmonton, 2014
  • University Lecturer in Chemical Sciences, Boston College, 2014
  • Werner Memorial Symposium Lecturer, Zürich, Switzerland, 2013
  • Lilly Lecturer, ESOC 18, Marseille, France , 2013
  • Bristol-Meyers Squibb Lecturer, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA, 2013
  • Russell Marker Lecturer, University of Maryland, USA, 2013
  • DTU lecturer, Technical University Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2013
  • New Journal of Chemistry RSC Lecture, Frontier Research in Chemistry, ERC Grantees Conference Strasbourg, France, 2012
  • Hassel Lecturer, University of Oslo, Norway, 2012
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Lecturer, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, 2012
  • Tetrahedron Chair Lectures (BOSS), Leuven, Belgium, 2012
  • Organic Stereochemistry Award Lectures, Royal Society of Chemistry, UK, 2012
  • Smets Chair, KU Leuven & Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, 2011
  • Molecular Science Forum Lecture Professorship, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Chinese Chemical Society, Beijing, 2011
  • Andrews Lecturer, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, 2011
  • Robert Robinson Award Lecturer, University of Oxford, UK, 2011
  • Tarrant Professorship 2011, University of Florida, USA
  • Dewar Lecturer, Queen Mary, London, UK, 2011
  • Hines Lecturer, University of Indiana, USA, 2010
  • Russell Marker Lecturer in the Chemical Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, USA, 2010
  • The McRae Distinguished Lectureship, Queens University, Kingston, Canada, 2009-2010
  • Barre Lecturer, University of Montreal, Canada, 2009-2010
  • ICI Distinguished Lecturer, University of Calgary, Canada, 2009
  • Chirality Medal Award Lecturer, 21st International Symposium on Chirality, Breckenridge, USA, 2009
  • J. H. van ‘t Hoff Award Lecturer, Netherlands Academy of Sciences, 2009
  • Hirschmann Lecturer, University of Pennsylvania, USA, 2009
  • Dauben Lecturer, University Washington, Seattle, USA, 2009
  • Bristol Myers Squibb Lecturer University of Michigan, USA, 2008
  • Paracelsus Award Lecturer, Zürich, Switzerland, 2008
  • Sturgeon Lecturer, Norwich, UK, 2008
  • Kharasch Lecturer, Chicago, USA, 2007
  • The A. R. Gordon Distinguished Lecturer, University Toronto, Canada, 2007
  • The Bender Lectureship, Northwestern University, USA, 2007
  • The Irvine Organic Synthesis Lecturer, UC Irvine, USA, 2007
  • 8th B. Garruthers Lecturer, University Sheffield, UK, 2007
  • Merck Lecturer, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, 2007
  • G.J. Schmidt Memorial Lecturer, Weizmann Institute, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2007
  • Herbert C. Brown Lecturer, Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA, 2007
  • Astra Zeneca Northern University Lecturer, Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, UK, 2006
  • Astra-Zeneca Lecturer, Alberta, Canada, 2005
  • Prelog Medal Award lecturer, ETH, Zurich, 2005
  • Lilly Lecturer, Oxford, UK, 2005
  • Swiss-Occidental Lectureship, Switzerland, 2005
  • Gassman Lecturer, University Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA, 2005
  • Abbott Lecturer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, 2004
  • Merck Lecturer (Spraque Lectureship 2004) University Wisconsin, Madison, USA, 2004
  • Dauben Distinguished Lecturer, University of California at Berkeley, USA, 2004
  • Marvel Lecturer, Roger Adams Labs, University Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA, 2004
  • The Musgrave Lecturer, Durham, UK, 2004
  • Bristol Meyers Squibb Lecturer, Boston, USA, 2004
  • Boehringer Ingelheim Lecturer, Montreal, Canada, 2003
  • Novartis Lecturer, Colorado State University, USA, 2002
  • Upper Rhine Lecturer, Germany, Switzerland, France, 2000
  • Vielberth Lecturer, University of Regensburg, Germany, 2001
  • W.S. Johnson Memorial Symposium Lecturer, Stanford University, USA, 2002
  • Guthikunda award lecturer, Columbia University, USA
  • Visiting Professor University of Potenza, Italy, 2003
  • Novartis Chemistry Award Lectureship 2000-2001
  • Visiting Professor University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 2001
  • Pfizer Lecturer, Harvard University, Cambridge MA, USA, 2000
  • Visiting Professor, KU University Leuven, Belgium, 1999
  • JSPS Award Lectureship, Japan, 1993