Former DNRF head of center Jens Kehlet Nørskov receives the prestigious Niels Bohr International Gold Medal
Top researcher and former DNRF head of center Jens Kehlet Nørskov has been awarded the Niels Bohr International Gold Medal 2018 for his research in catalysis. The medal has been given only 11 times since 1955; the last time was in 2013.
The most prestigious honor in Danish research, the Niels Bohr International Gold Medal 2018 was awarded on Niels Bohr’s birthday, Sunday, October 7, to Professor Jens Kehlet Nørskov, former DNRF head of center at the basic research Center for Atomic Scale Materials Physics (CAMP). Nørskov, who led the center from 1993 to 2003, is now the leader of the Catalysis Theory Center in the Physics Department at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). Nørskov is only the third person to receive the award who has not also received the Nobel Prize in Physics, and he is the first Danish recipient after Bohr himself received the first prize in 1955, which makes Professor Nørskov part of an exclusive group.
The award was given by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe at a ceremony at the Carlsberg Academy, which was the honorary residence for Niels Bohr from 1931 to his death in 1962. Professor Nørskov was awarded the Gold Medal for his contributions to the development of new catalysators for the conversion of solar energy to green fuel and chemicals. His contributions are significant and have great value for society. Professor Nørskov’s research is an important influence on the work aimed at avoiding the widespread use of fossil fuels, which are extremely damaging to our climate and environment.
“I am very overwhelmed and humble to receive the medal. It is a great honor and very special to me, since Niels Bohr created the foundation for the quantum mechanics analysis I use in my research every day,” said Professor Nørskov.
The Niels Bohr International Gold Medal is awarded by the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA) in collaboration with the University of Copenhagen, the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters, and the Carlsberg Foundation.
In 1995, the Niels Bohr International Gold Medal was established by the IDA to honor a researcher who has contributed to a peaceful use of atomic energy. The prize includes a monetary award of 100,000 euros.