The CNRS Gold Medal, France’s highest distinction in scientific research, has been awarded this year to chemist Prof. Dr. Gérard Férey who is vice-President of the Société Chimique de France (SCF) and has published several papers in Angewandte Chemie.

This prestigious annual prize rewards the works of a prominent personality who has made an exceptional contribution to the dynamism, reputation and influence of French scientific research. Gérard Férey is a researcher in the physicochemistry of solids and inorganic or hybrid materials. He specializes in the design of hybrid porous materials, in particular for the storage of CO₂ or medicines. With the help of his team, he predicts and explains the behavior of these nanomaterials, which have a wide range of useful properties and potential applications in the fields of energy, sustainable development and healthcare.

The last chemist to receive the medal was the late Pierre Potier for his discovery of two important molecules used in cancer therapy. Several awardees later received Nobel Prizes: the last example was in Physics (2007) Alain Ferth (together with a German colleague) for the discovery of the giant magnetoresistance effect.

The Award was announced yesterday during a press conference at CNRS.

• SCF (Société Chimique de France)
• CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)
• Angewandte Author Profile
• His latest articles in Angewandte Chemie:
  
  • BioMOFs: Metal–Organic Frameworks for Biological and Medical Applications
    Alistair C. McKinlay, Russell E. Morris, Patricia Horcajada, Gérard Férey, Ruxandra Gref, Patrick Couvreur, Christian Serre, 
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, 49 (36), 6260–6266.
    DOI: 10.1002/anie.201000048
  • Using Pressure to Provoke the Structural Transition of Metal–Organic Frameworks
    Isabelle Beurroies, Mohammed Boulhout, Philip L. Llewellyn, Bogdan Kuchta, Gérard Férey, Christian Serre, Renaud Denoyel
    Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2010, published online.
    DOI: 10.1002/anie.201003048