Chirality Medal

The 2023 CHIRALITY MEDAL has been awarded to Professor RON NAAMAN
The Chirality Medal was instituted by the Società Chimica Italiana in 1991. The goal of this award is to honour internationally recognized scientists who have made a distinguished contribution to all aspects of chirality.

Prof. Ron Naaman obtained his BSc in 1973 from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and his Doctorate in 1978 from the Weizmann Institute of Science. He was a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University in California and spent a year at Harvard University's Department of Chemistry. Dr Naaman entered the Weizmann Institute's Department of Isotope Research, in the same institute, he directed the Department of Chemical Physics (1995-2000). Since 2019 he has been Prof. Emeritus at Weizmann Institute.
Prof. Naaman has made ground-breaking advances to the knowledge of molecular physics and the quantum state of matter by devising novel experiments that address basic physical issues about molecules and molecular assemblies. His studies focus on chiral-induced spin selectivity for explaining long-range electron transfer in biology, catalysis, and spintronic applications.
During the Conference, Professor Ron Naaman will give an Acceptance Lecture.

  History of the Chirality Medal  

The Chirality Medal was instituted by the Italian Society of Chemistry (Società Chimica Italiana, SCI) in 1991 on the occasion of the Second International Symposium on Chiral Discrimination (ISCD-2), which was held in Rome (May 27–31, 1991) at Sapienza, Rome University.
The aim of the medal was to honour internationally recognized scientists who have made a distinguished contribution to chirality in all its features.
A young student from the organic chemistry group at that time headed by Professor Domenico Misiti was commissioned to design the medal. As a symbol for chirality, she was asked to reproduce two mirror images of a common seashell.
Since 1991, the Chirality Medal is awarded annually by a dedicated Honour Committee composed by the Chirality International Committee members and by the most recent recipients of the Medal. We are proudly aware that the Chirality Medal, born in Rome in 1991, during the years has internationally established itself as a coveted recognition for scientists working in the field of Stereochemistry.
The ceremony for the Medal awarding is held during the Opening session of the Chirality Meetings. The journal CHIRALITY thought it would be appropriate to periodically publish an honorary issue for each of the Medal winners.
The past recipients of the Medal are given in the Table (see below).