Nagoya Gold and Silver Medals Awarded

The Nagoya Gold Medal was established in 1995 and is awarded to an organic chemist for significant contributions to the field. The Silver Medal is presented to younger Japanese scientists whose work has had a major impact on the field of synthetic organic chemistry. Professor Paul Knochel, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Germany, is the winner of the 2012 Gold Medal, and Professor Takahiko Akiyama, Gakushuin University, and Professor Masahiro Terada, Tohoku University, both Japan, are the winners of the Silver Medal. The awards were presented on November 8, 2012, as part of a special one-day symposium.

Paul Knochel studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie in Strasbourg, France, and worked with Dieter Seebach at the ETH Zurich, Switzerland, for his Ph.D. which was awarded in 1982. From 1982–1986, he was a chargé de recherche (research associate) in the group of Jean-François Normant at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France, and from 1986–1987, he was a postdoctoral researcher with Martin F. Semmelhack at Princeton University, USA. He joined the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, in 1988, and moved to the University of Marburg, Germany, in 1992. He took up his current position in Munich in 1999.

Knochel´s research interests include the development of novel organometallic reagents and methods for use in organic synthesis, asymmetric catalysis, and natural product synthesis, and his recent work includes the intramolecular copper-catalyzed carbomagnesation of alkynyl(aryl)thioethers. Knochel also received the 2011 EROS Best Reagent Award.

Takahiko Akiyama studied at the University of Tokyo, Japan, and received his Ph.D. in 1985 for work supervised by Teruaki Mukaiyama. From 1985–1988, he worked as a research chemist at Shionogi Research Laboratories, Japan, and from 1988–1992, he was assistant professor at Ehime University, Matsuyama, Japan. In 1994, he joined Gakushuin University, where he is currently full professor.

Akiyama´s research interests are in asymmetric reactions catalyzed by chiral Brønsted acids, metal-catalyzed transformations, activation of C–F bonds, and chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed transfer hydrogenation.

Masahiro Terada studied at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan, and worked under the direction of Koichi Mikami for his Ph.D., which was awarded in 1991. He was assistant professor at the same institution from 1989–2001, and a postdoctoral fellow with Matthew D. Shair at Harvard University, USA, from 1999–2000. He moved to Tohoku University, Japan, in 2001, and is currently full professor.

Terada´s research is focused on the development of synthetic methodologies based on the design of chiral Brønsted acid and base catalysts as well as the utilization of transition-metal catalysts. Terada is on the Editorial Board of the Asian Journal of Organic Chemistry.