Nobel Laureate in Chemistry visits Umeå University

Professor Martin Karplus, one of  the three Nobel Laureates in Chemistry 2013, will visit Umeå University on Friday December 13 to give a lecture on his groundbreaking research. His visit to Umeå University is due to the fact that one of his former post doctoral students now works in Umeå.

– I am very pleased to accept your invitation to visit UmeåUniversity, in particular because you now have one of my best postdoctoral students on your faculty, says Martin Karplus.

Kwangho Nam is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry at Umeå University. He was a post doctoral student in Martin Karplus’ laboratory at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, during 2006–2011. It is thanks to him professor Karplus will take time to visit Umeå University following the Nobel festivities.

– I was able to contact him quickly, because we are working closely together to finish-up several research projects that I initiated when I was in his lab, says Kwangho Nam. In fact, we have been communicating quite often in recent months.

– It is very enjoyable to work with Martin Karplus, continues Kwangho Nam. He is open-minded and spends lots of time discussing with his students. Through these discussions he tries to promote young researchers to develop their own scientific ideas. I think he is quite right in that, many people from his lab have become excellent scientists.

Chemists used to create models of molecules using plastic balls and sticks. Today, the modelling is carried out in computers with the help of powerful software and lifelike computer models. It has become possible to visualize chemical reactions at lightning speed, for example how photosynthesis happens in a plant or how a drug acts on its target protein in the human body.

In the early 1970s Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel began developing the groundbreaking computer models that are now used to understand and predict chemical reactions in detail. Their discoveries are awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2013.

Martin Karplus will give a lecture in Aula Nordica, Umeå University, at 10.00–11.00 on Friday 13 December. After the lecture, at 11.30–12.00 a pressconference will be held in Universitetsklubben. After that Karplus will take part in a genuine Lucia celebration in Aula Nordica at 12.10–12.30.

The lecture is open to staff, student and the public. Note that seats are limited in Aula Nordica, so make sure to be in time to secure a seat.

More about the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2013 

More about Martin Karplus’ research

High resolution photo of Martin Karplus 

High resolution photo of Kwangho Nam

Photo: Martin Karplus, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, visits Umeå University on December 13. Photo: Stephanie Mitchell, Harvard University

For more information, please contact:

Kwangho Nam, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Umeå University
Phone: +46907866570, +46727187772
Email: kwangho.nam@chem.umu.se

Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Umeå University
Phone: +46907865347, +46730345141
Email: pernilla.wittung@chem.umu.se