News Release
October 2, 2018
Karen Tiano +1 978 495 0093
- Four graduate student chemists awarded for innovation in synthetic organic chemistry
- Tim Gatzenmeier, Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, selected for grand prize
Burlington, Massachusetts, October 2, 2018 — MilliporeSigma recognized four graduate students for their research and innovations in synthetic organic chemistry as part of the Alfred R. Bader Student Chemistry Symposium in Darmstadt, Germany, on September 27. Students presented their research to an audience of company staff and guests and a panel of judges selected Tim Gatzenmeier from the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Mulheim, Germany, for the $3,000 grand prize based on his research in asymmetric enantioselective organocatalysis.
“As a longstanding leader and collaborator in the chemistry space, MilliporeSigma always looks forward to learning from and acknowledging the research of these young scientists,” said Udit Batra, CEO, MilliporeSigma. “What is especially exciting is witnessing collaborative problem solving and curiosity in action that are driving discoveries around the world.”
Winners of $1,000 prizes were:
- Gabriel Lovinger; Boston College, USA, Conjunctive Cross-Coupling: Development and Exploration of New Reactions
- Jacob Ludwig; University of Michigan, USA, Catalytic Carbonyl Olefin Metathesis
- Hiroki Sato; University of Texas at Austin, USA, Development of new cycloaddition reactions of diols and their applications: bridge between synthetic chemistry and material science
This year’s finalists presented projects about synthetic methodologies and reactions for organic synthesis, a field ultimately focused on the creation of synthetic molecules for new drugs, performance materials and agricultural products.
The Alfred R. Bader Award for Student Innovation competition was open to advanced graduate students in synthetic organic chemistry from around the world and recognizes young chemists whose work is expected to accelerate progress in chemistry. The contest theme this year was the development of instrumentation broadly applicable to synthetic organic chemistry and the reactive use of current reagents, catalysts and ligands in methodology or total synthesis projects. The award is named for Sigma-Aldrich co-founder Alfred R. Bader.
For more than a decade, MilliporeSigma has developed partnerships with academic chemists and their students in recognition of innovative chemistry through philanthropic contributions to the field.
Follow MilliporeSigma on Twitter @MilliporeSigma, on Facebook @MilliporeSigma and on LinkedIn.
The Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has 20,000 employees and 60 manufacturing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products enabling scientific discovery. Udit Batra is the global chief executive officer of MilliporeSigma.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany completed its $17 billion acquisition of Sigma-Aldrich in November 2015, creating a leader in the $125 billion global life science industry.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in healthcare, life science and performance materials. The company has five businesses – Biopharmaceuticals, Consumer Health, Allergopharma, Life Science and Performance Materials – and generated sales of €15.3 billion in 2017. Almost 53,000 employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to foster the success of customers and to help meet global challenges.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company – since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70 percent interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. The company holds the global rights to the name and the trademark “Merck” internationally except for the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.