Ben L. Feringa

The lecture is open to the public and will be given in English; the event is organised in collaboration with the  interdisciplinary Thematic Institute on the Chemistry of Complex Systems (ITI SysChem).

Opening words - Thomas Baumert, co-director of USIAS, and Rémi Barillon, vice-President of Research, Doctoral Training and Open Science, University of Strasbourg

The speaker

Ben L. Feringa obtained his PhD degree at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands under the guidance of Professor Hans Wynberg. After working as a research scientist at Shell in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, he was appointed lecturer and, in 1988, full professor at the University of Groningen and named the Jacobus H. van 't Hoff Distinguished Professor of Molecular Sciences in 2004. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016, together with Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and – from the University of Strasbourg - Jean-Pierre Sauvage, for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.

His research interests include stereochemistry, homogeneous catalysis, organic synthesis, asymmetric catalysis, molecular switches and motors, self-assembly, molecular nanosystems and photopharmacology. Professor Feringa’s research has been recognised with numerous awards. In 2008, he was appointed Academy Professor and was knighted by Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands.

The lecture

Introduction - Jean-Pierre Sauvage, USIAS Chair of Chemical Topology and Molecular Machines; laureate of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Motion is an essential feature of life, which is evident from the fact that we can walk, talk, see and reproduce. The fascinating molecular motors and machines that sustain life at all levels offer a great source of inspiration to the molecular explorer at the nanoscale.

When moving from static molecules and materials to dynamic molecular systems, the fundamental challenge is how to control and exploit motion at the nanoscale. In this lecture, the focus will be on my journey in the world of molecular nanoscience and designing molecular machines, which are minuscule – a nanometre, or one billionth of a metre in size. Science or science fiction? In particular, the synthesis and functioning of molecular switches and motors will be discussed, and their applications such as smart medicines or responsive materials and artificial muscles.

I will present the process of discovery, the art of building small and the adventure to control motion at the molecular level, and discuss how fundamental questions, potential application, serendipity and molecular beauty have guided me on this journey.