News Professor Dongho Kim, Honorary Distinguished Professor, Receives the Prestigious '2024 Morino Lectureship Award'
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Professor Dongho Kim has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Morino Lectureship Award in the field of molecular science.
The Morino Lectureship Award, established by the Morino Foundation for Molecular Science with a donation from the renowned Japanese molecular scientist Professor Yotsuo Morino (1908-1995) of the University of Tokyo, is presented annually to foreign scientists who have made groundbreaking achievements in the field. The award is highly esteemed, with the first recipient being Nobel laureate in Chemistry, Professor J.C. Polanyi, in 1986. Professor Morino was the first to introduce the term "molecular science" to Japan and played a leading role in establishing Institute for Molecular Science of Japan in 1975. His pioneering research continues to guide subsequent generations of researchers.
Professor Dongho Kim gained significant attention in the academic world for his groundbreaking work demonstrating the spectral differences between aromatic and antiaromatic conjugated macrocompounds, as well as his research into the creation and separation processes of Möbius aromatic and antiaromatic molecules. His work, particularly on the phenomenon of aromaticity reversal in the excited states of large aromatic molecules, provided crucial insights into the contrasting electronic and vibrational characteristics between a molecule's ground and excited states. These research achievements have led to further advancements in areas such as chemical stability and reactivity, proton and electron transfer reactions, isomerization, and ring-opening/closing reactions, stimulating continued research in various reaction processes. This work earned him the honor of receiving the Morino Lectureship Award.
Professor Kim expressed his gratitude, stating, "I hope that the understanding of molecular aromaticity/antiaromaticity will lead to the discovery of more reactions and mechanisms, thereby further advancing research in molecular science." He also dedicated the award to the many students who have passed through his laboratory.
In celebration of this prestigious award, Professor Dongho Kim will give commemorative lectures titled "My Journey to the Molecular Excitonic World" on November 8 at Kyushu University and on November 11 at Institute for Molecular Science in Japan.