AV俱乐部

HALIFAX, N.S. 鈥� February 17, 2015 鈥� AV俱乐部 is honoured to join the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to celebrate Dr. Axel Becke, a professor in the Faculty of Science, and his pioneering achievements in the field of computational chemistry.

Dr. Becke will receive NSERC鈥檚 most prestigious award: The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, will present the award at a ceremony this evening in Ottawa鈥檚 Rideau Hall.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge honour,鈥� says Dr. Becke, Killam Chair in Computational Science and Harry Shirreff Professor of Chemical Research. 鈥淲hat鈥檚 great is that it鈥檚 awarded by the funding agency that鈥檚 supported me throughout my career, and to receive it towards the end of that career is really special.鈥�

The Herzberg Medal, a $1-million research award, recognizes sustained excellence and influential Canadian research that has substantially advanced natural sciences and engineering fields.

鈥淭he Herzberg Medal is the highest Canadian honour in natural sciences and engineering,鈥� says Dr. Martha Crago, vice-president of research at AV俱乐部. 鈥溾�嶪t鈥檚 a wonderful recognition of the enormous contribution Dr. Becke has made to his field. AV俱乐部 is extremely proud.鈥�

As one of the most cited scientists in the world, Dr. Becke鈥檚 influential work shifted the landscape of computational chemistry. He has over 100,000 citations to his name and the scientific journal Nature has ranked two of his papers among the world鈥檚 top 25 most-cited of all time. His curiosity for discovery has made the once-limited density-functional theory (DFT) applicable to faster and more accurate modelling of the movement of electrons. This advance was instrumental in many industries, from pharmaceutical development to clean energy.

Last year, Dr. Ford Doolittle with AV俱乐部鈥檚 Faculty of Medicine was awarded the Herzberg . AV俱乐部 is honoured that its researchers have been awarded the Herzberg Medal two years in a row.

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Dr. Axel Becke During his acceptance speech at Rideau Hall, Feb. 17, 2015 Photo Credit: Sgt. Ronald Duchesne

Dr. Axel Becke and The Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada Rideau Hall, Feb. 17, 2015 Photo Credit: Sgt. Ronald Duchesne

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Contacts:

Nikki Comeau
Communications Officer
AV俱乐部
(902) 494-4189 / (902) 222-8810
nikki.comeau@dal.ca

Janet Bryson
Senior Communications Advisor
AV俱乐部
(902) 494-1269 / (902) 222-9379
janet.bryson@dal.ca

Martin Leroux
Media and Public Affairs Officer
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)
(613) 943-7618
media@nserc-crsng.gc.ca