RSC Centenary Prize for Sarbajit Banerjee
Sarbajit Banerjee receives the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Centenary Prize for original insights into structure and chemical bonding far from equilibrium, and for excellence in communicating chemical principles underpinning clean energy to the public.?
Sarbajit Banerjee is Professor for Battery Mechanisms & Materials Design at ETH Zurich and Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). Together with his team, he is working on a new approach for exploring the structure and chemical bonds of inorganic materials under extreme conditions. His research shows that the structure of a material is not solely determined by its chemical composition, but can often be controlled independently of its makeup.
He has developed a set of predictive rules to identify new stable compound structures, created a wide range of chemical techniques for synthesizing new structures, expanded our understanding of chemical bonds beyond standard conditions, and explored how unusual structural patterns in these materials can create new functionalities.
His ability to map material behavior has improved our understanding of chemical bonding and has practical implications across many technologies, including designing components for lithium and ‘beyond lithium’ batteries, isotope separation for nuclear energy, brain-inspired computing for artificial intelligence, and solar fuel production. For this achievement, Sarbjait Banerjee has been awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Centenary Prize.
“I am hugely honored to receive this prize because it is recognition of the incredible work of several generations of students and post-doctoral researchers who have walked with me on this journey through the inevitable hills and valleys”, Sarbajit Banerjee emphasizes. “I am grateful for their willingness to explore and advance ideas and concepts that are not mainstream and to those of our partners in government and industry who have been willing to take a bet on us.”
Furthermore, Sarbajit Banerjee sees this recognition from the Royal Society of Chemistry also as “a humbling reminder of the importance of communicating the pivotal role of chemistry in shaping the lives we live and the world around us. We live in precarious times. For me science communication has a critical role in facilitating global conversations, building trust in science, and ensuring that all stakeholders have a seat at the table.”
About the Royal Society of Chemistry and the prize
Established in 1841 and headquartered in London, UK, the Royal Society of Chemistry has a global network of over 60,000 members working in the chemical sciences. The Research and Innovation Prizes honour exceptional individuals from both academia and industry. The Centenary Prize specifically recognises distinguished international chemists who also excel in science communication, inviting them to deliver lectures across the UK and Ireland.
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