Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart joins HKU as Chair Professor of Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) proudly announces the appointment of Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart, a distinguished chemist and Nobel Laureate, as a Chair Professor.

“I look upon my role as a professor to be more about mentoring and helping young people to come up with fresh ideas and fulfil their ambitions in their research endeavours. By my providing lots of support, they can explore their ideas, bring them to fruition, and produce results that end up being published in the high-profile scientific literature,” said Professor Stoddart.

With a wealth of experience in chemistry, materials science, and molecular nanotechnology, Professor Stoddart has been a Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University in the United States for the past 16 years. His recent research centres around the development of molecular pumps and electric molecular motors. By employing concepts of kinetic asymmetry and trajectory thermodynamics, he has designed pumping cassettes that enable one-way movements of components in mechanically interlocked molecules. This precision allows for the synthesis of molecularly homogeneous polyrotaxanes with specific numbers of rings, resulting in polymers with unique stimuli-responsive properties.

Professor Stoddart's groundbreaking research has garnered numerous accolades and awards, including the prestigious 2007 King Faisal International Prize in Science. In 2016, he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Bernard L. Feringa and Jean-Pierre Sauvage for their work on the design and synthesis of molecular machines.

Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, expresses the excitement on behalf of the HKU community in welcoming Professor Stoddart and looks forward to his valuable contributions to research and academic pursuits at HKU.

More information can be found at this website: https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/26533.html