Research excellence rewarded

Professor Smith (right) receives his award from Professor Wolfgang Fruhwald, president of the Humboldt Foundation

AIBN researcher Professor Sean Smith was recently recognised with a prestigious award from the Humboldt Foundation in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments in the area of simulation and visualisation of molecular systems.

Professor Smith's interdisciplinary work focuses on molecular scale modelling in the areas of biological science, materials science, nanotechnology and environmental science.

The $80,000 Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award not only recognises past achievements, but is only awarded to researchers who can demonstrate their work will remain on the cutting edge and have ramifications beyond their specialisation.

In congratulating Professor Smith, AIBN Director Professor Peter Gray said this award further demonstrated the research excellence to be found in the AIBN.

"Sean now has the opportunity to build significant links with leading German and European scholars as a result of this award. He will be able to spend a significant amount of time in the laboratory of Professor Juergen Troe, an international leader in the field of reaction kinetics and spectroscopy in photophysical and photobiological systems,” he said.

Professor Smith said it was a great honour to be awarded this prize, particularly from such a highly respected organisation.

“I am very much looking forward to working with Prof Troe and believe that our collaborations will result in significant advances in theory and computation of chemical reactivity in the gas phase and within fluorescent proteins,” he said.

Media: Russell Griggs (07 3346 3989, r.griggs@uq.edu.au)