Donegal scientist wins RSC’s Corday-Morgan Prize

PROFESSOR Angelos Michaelides is the Royal Society of Chemistry Corday-Morgan Prize winner for 2016.
Born and raised in Donegal, Professor Angelos is Professor of Theoretical Chemistry at University College London.
His work involves using computers to better understand important problems at the interface between chemistry and physics. One of his research group’s current studies is aimed at obtaining a molecular level description of water at interfaces and the formation of ice. Better understanding of ice formation could have wide ranging and broad impact such as an improved understanding of the climate or better ice cream.
Speaking to the Donegal News on Friday, Prof Michaelides said he was delighted to win the award. The Greencastle native, who went to school in Carndonagh Community School before going to Queen’s won the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2010.
“I really enjoy what I’m doing. It’s a privilege to be able to think about and work in science,” he said.
The Corday-Morgan Prize recognises the most meritorious contributions to chemistry.
“I am very honoured to have won the RSC’s Corday-Morgan Prize. I feel that this award acknowledges the hard work and dedication of the many excellent students, post-docs and collaborators our research team has had over the last few years,” he added.
An illustrious list of 47 previous winners of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Awards have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including Harry Kroto, Fred Sanger and Linus Pauling.
“It’s a nice thing to get as there’s a lot of very good work being undertaken by a lot of people,” he said.
“I worked in Cambridge for a while and spent a few years in Berlin before settling in London. I get home once or twice a year to visit my sisters and brother,” he added.
Dr Robert Parker, chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry said: “It is an honour to recognise the illustrious achievements of our prize and award winners in our 175th anniversary year.
“We were founded in 1841 by a group of academics, industrialists and doctors who understood the power of the chemical sciences to change our world for the better. Our winners share that vision and are advancing excellence in their fields, whether through innovative research or inspirational teaching and outreach.
“We are proud to celebrate and support the work of inspiring and influential individuals, whose work has the potential to improve so many lives.”
Prize winners are evaluated for the originality and impact of their research, as well as the quality of the results which can be shown in publications, patents, or even software. The awards also recognise the importance of teamwork across the chemical sciences, and the abilities of individuals to develop successful collaborations.

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