Honorary Chair

Professor Dr. Feringa has been a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Groningen since 1988. His 1999 discovery of the ‘molecular motor’ – a light-driven rotary molecular motor – is widely recognized as a spectacular scientific breakthrough, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2016. Professor Dr. Feringa, honorary member of the KNCV, is regarded as one of the best scientists of our time, both within the Netherlands and worldwide. He has achieved many breakthroughs in various fields of chemistry, including organic synthesis, catalysis, supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology. He is generally regarded as one of the world’s most creative and productive chemists and is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the field of molecular engines. One of the potential applications of his engines is the delivery of medication inside the human body. Besides molecular engines, Professor Dr. Feringa is involved in catalysis and smart medication that can, for instance, be switched on and off by light.