Frank Neese honored at world conference for theoretical chemists

Presentation of the Schrödinger Medal took place in Oslo
 

For theoretical chemists, the triennial international congress of the World Association of Theoretically Oriented Chemists (WATOC) is the key event on the calendar—a major gathering and the place to be. This year, the prestigious conference brought together 1,100 experts from around the world in Oslo and held a special honor for our Director, Professor Frank Neese.

Back in 2022, the WATOC committee awarded Neese the Schrödinger Medal—the highest international recognition in theoretical and computational chemistry. Named after Austrian quantum physicist Erwin Schrödinger, the medal has been awarded annually since 1987 to an outstanding scientist in theoretical or computational chemistry.

The jury recognized Neese “for his groundbreaking development of new quantum chemical methods for theoretical spectroscopy and local electron correlation, as well as their application to important chemical problems.” The official presentation to the community has now taken place, with WATOC President Professor Peter Gill from the University of Sydney.

“It was truly a goosebump moment to receive the ‘Oscar of Quantum Chemistry’ in person,” Neese shared. Due to organizational reasons, the handing over of the medal could only take place at WATOC Oslo 2025 . “I consider it a great honor to stand among the most distinguished theoreticians who have received this award,” he added. Among them is the late Professor Walter Thiel, former Emeritus Director at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung. The Schrödinger Medal for 2025 was awarded to Professor Peter Schreiner from Gießen.