Benjamin Franklin Medal for Michele Parrinello
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Michele Parrinello, Professor for Computational Science (D-CHAB), has received the 2020 Benjamin Franklin Medal together with Roberto Car from Princeton University for inventing an efficient computational method by combining molecular dynamics simulation and electronic structure calculations.
Since 1824, the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia honors researchers for their outstanding and pioneering achievements in science, industry and engineering. Among the eight laureates this year, is Michele Parrinello, Professor for Computational Science at ETH Zurich (D-CHAB). He and Roberto Car, a theoretical chemist at Princeton University, have been awarded the 2020 Benjamin Franklin Medal for inventing the Car-Parrinello method. The Car-Parrinello method maps the interactions of large numbers of atoms in motion through quantum mechanics resulting in ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. It allows observing the motion of individual atoms for a better understanding of static and dynamical properties of various complex systems. This method has already been applied in many areas of materials science, physics, chemistry and biology, for instance enabling researches to describe and design new molecules and materials. The award ceremony will take place during the Franklin Institute Awards Week, April 27-30, 2020.
Life and research interests
Michele Parrinello was born in Messina, Italy in 1945. He studied physics at the University of Bologna and received his degree in 1968. He was appointed full professor at the International School for Advanced Study (SISSA) in Trieste, Italy, and became later Director at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, Germany, where he is still an external scientific member. Since July 2001, Michele Parrinello has been full Professor at the Institute of Computational Science at ETH Zurich, leading a research group located in the city of Lugano. In addition, he was Director of the Swiss Center for Scientific Computing (CSCS) in Manno until March 2003.
Professor Parrinello values interdisciplinary research. His scientific interests include the study of complex chemical reactions, protein dynamics as well as catalysis and materials science. Together with Roberto Car from Princeton University, he presented in 1984 the pioneering Car-Parrinello method that shaped the field of electronic structure calculations for molecules, solids and liquids. Furthermore, Parrinello is known for the Parrinello-Rahman method of molecular dynamics, which enables the study of crystalline phase transitions under constant pressure. At ETH Zurich, Parrinello and his group focus on the development of new methods for studying the properties of condensed matter by using computer simulations. Like a “virtual microscope”, these simulations shed light on the motion of atoms during physical, chemical or biological processes. Parrinello is author of more than 600 publications. For his work, he has been awarded many prizes.