Knut Asmis receives the prize in recognition of his work in the field of spectroscopy of small molecular aggregates, in particular for his pioneering studies on model systems, for example to decipher the Grotthuss mechanism, which is the unexpectedly fast diffusion of protons in water, and to elucidate the mode of action of catalysts. “Model systems allow us to reduce a scientific problem to its essentials in order to obtain the clearest possible view of the processes of chemical reactions at the molecular level,” says Knut Asmis. He has been Professor of Physical Chemistry at Leipzig University since 2014. He was Vice-Dean from 2019 to 2022 and briefly Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Mineralogy in 2022, and spokesperson of the Graduate School BuildMoNa from 2021 to 2023. Since 2021, he has been the spokesperson of Research Training Group 2721, Hydrogen Isotopes: 1,2,3H.
The van 't Hoff Prize was awarded for the first time in 2009. It was endowed by Nobel laureate Gerhard Ertl. The prize is named after the first winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff. In addition to prize money, it consists of a silver medal and a certificate.