Professor Ernö Pretsch, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, has received the Rudolf Fabinyi Memorial Prize from the Magyar Kémikusok Egyesülete (MKE, Hungarian Chemical Society). The award is given to scientists living outside of Hungary whose outstanding scientific accomplishment have contributed to the reputation of the MKE. The award was established in 2007 at the society’s 100th anniversary and is named after the MKE founder, Dr. Rudolf Fabinyi. The award was presented by Professor Livia Simon Sarkadi, MKE President, on June 25, 2012, at the Society’s headquarters, Budapest, Hungary.

Ernö Pretsch studied at the Technical University Budapest, Hungary, before gaining his M.Sc. and Ph.D. from ETH Zurich, Switzerland, in 1965 and 1968, respectively. He has been a visiting professor at both the Technical University Budapest and Shanghai University of Technology, China. Pretsch completed his Habilitation in 1980 in the field of analytical chemistry and in 1991 he joined the faculty of ETH Zurich as Professor. He retired in 2007, but remains an active researcher in the fields of ion-selective electrodes for trace analysis, potentiometric sensors, and NMR spectra prediction. 

Pretsch is particularly known for his work on computer aided structure analysis, especially carbon-13 NMR prediction programs, which are now routinely accessible in commercially chemical drawing software.

Also of interest:

• Ernö Pretsch, 65 Years,
  Eric Bakker,
  Electroanalysis 2008, 20(3), 223–224.
  DOI: 10.1002/elan.200890002
• Magyar Kémikusok Egyesülete (MKE, Hungarian Chemical Society), Budapest, Hungary
• European Women in Chemistry,
  Jan Apotheker, Livia Simon Sarkadi,
  Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany, 2010.
  ISBN: 978-3-527-32956-4