Recent Awards and Grants

25 January 2011: Fukui Medal 2011 for Prof. Peter Schwerdtfeger

We are happy to announce that the prestigious Fukui Medal for outstanding theoretical/computational chemists in the Asia-Pacific region goes to Prof. Peter Schwerdtfeger.
He has been awarded for for "his achievement in quantum chemistry, in particular for deeper understanding of quantum relativistic effects" (taken from [1]).

From Massey University webpage [2]:
The Asia-Pacific Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists announced this week it has awarded the medal to the Albany-based scientist for his achievement in quantum chemistry, in particular for his deeper understanding of quantum relativistic effects.
The medal is named after Japanese chemist Kenichi Fukui (1918-98) who was co-recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1981. Candidates for the medal must be nominated by three eminent scientists.
Professor Schwerdtfeger is the director of the Centre for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics at the University's Institute for Advanced Study.
"This is a great honour for me," he says. "Looking at the other medallists, you see why."
In November Professor Schwerdfeger, whose research has helped explain the physics and chemistry behind the colour of gold, was awarded another prestigious international science prize, the Humboldt Research Award. The German-born scientist gained a degree as a chemicotechnical assistant at the Chemisches Institut in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1973, a chemical engineering degree from Aalen in 1976, and a PhD in 1986 from the University of Stuttgart. He has held a numerous positions as teaching and research fellow at universities in Germany, Australia and New Zealand.
His Marsden-funded projects include experimental and theoretical investigations of the nanostructures of gold for a better understanding of the quantum size effects in nanostructured materials, and understanding and modelling the behaviour of dynamic clusters of atoms and molecules in heavy metal clusters. He has supervised PhD students and collaborates intensively with more than 30 research groups worldwide on topics ranging from computational inorganic and organic chemistry to materials science and high-resolution spectroscopy. He has been the recipient of six Marsden grants totalling $4 million.

Weblinks:
[1] APATCC
[2] Massey University announcement
[3] Campus Daily

November 2010: Humboldt Prize for Prof. Peter Schwerdtfeger

Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger, Director of the Center for Theoretical Chemistry and Physics (New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study, at Massey University Auckland) has been elected a recipient of the prestigious Humboldt Research Award, known also as the Humboldt Prize, by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Bonn (Germany) for his fundamental work in the area theoretical chemistry. The international award valued at 60,000 Euros is named after the late Prussian naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt and is granted in recognition of a researcher's entire achievements to date. It is awarded to academics whose fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a significant impact on their own discipline and who are expected to continue producing cutting-edge achievements in the future. Professor Schwerdtfeger is internationally well known for his work on fundamental aspects of chemistry in relation to quantum physics. Past Winners in Chemistry include an impressive list like Anthony J. Arduengo III, Paul Josef Crutzen, Robert F. Curl, Ei-ichi Negishi, Robert H. Grubbs, Jean-Marie Lehn, Rudolph Marcus, John Anthony Pople, Richard R. Schrock, Keisuke Suzuki, or Ahmed H. Zewail. Award winners are invited to spend a period of 6 months to a year cooperating on a long-term research project with colleagues at research institutions in Germany. His primary host will be Professor Prof. Gernot Frenking at the Philipps University University in Marburg, where he will contribute to research into heavy element chemistry and physics.

For press releases see:

Massey University announcement
Massey University article
Royal Society of New Zealand
University of Marburg
SundayStar Times (from www.stuff.co.nz)
www.scoop.co.nz
www.campusdaily.co.nz

September 2009: Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger has been awarded for the Massey University Research Medal (Individual)

We are proud to announce that Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger has been awarded for the Massey University Research Medal (Individual) for his work on fundamental aspects of chemistry in relation to quantum physics - such as the chemistry and physics of gold.
(For the full article click here)

September 2009: Dr. Matthias Lein has been awarded for the Massey University Research Medal (Early Career)

We are proud to announce that Dr. Matthias Lein has been awarded the Massey University Research Medal (Early Career) for his contributions to the planning and setting up of Massey University's prestigious supercomputer Double-Helix and his research on computational chemistry.
(For the full article click here)

2009: Dr. Joachim Brand received a Marsden grant of NZ$ 785,000 over three years for the project "Icy tornadoes in the quantum world - Josephson junctions of Bose-Einstein condensates".
2008:Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger received a Marsden grant of NZ$ 260,000 over three years for the project "The Variation of Fundamental Constants in Space-Time".
2007:Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger received a Marsden grant of NZ$ 720,000 over three years for the project "Chemistry at extreme conditions: materials at ultra-high pressures from first principles quantum theoretical methods".
2007: Dr. Joachim Brand received a Marsden grant of NZ$ 670,000 over three years for the project "Please don't stand in my way, Sir! Studying the few-particle dynamics of ultra-cold atoms".
2007: Dr. Patrick Bowman received a Marsden Fast-Start for the project "Bondage and Confinement: How Hadrons keep their Quarks" (NZ$ 170,000).
2006:Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger received a Marsden grant of NZ$ 290,000 over three years for the project "The search for molecular parity violation - precise four-component relativistic coupled cluster and density functional calculations of parity non-conservation effects in chiral molecules".