Giessen chemist receives Schrödinger Medal for groundbreaking research

Giessen chemist receives Schrödinger Medal for groundbreaking research

Prof. Dr. Peter R. Schreiner, a renowned chemist at the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, was awarded the 2025 Schrödinger Medal. This honor has been awarded annually since 1987 by the World Association of Theoretically Oriented Chemists (WATOC) for outstanding achievements in theoretical and computational chemistry. Schreiner heads the Institute of Organic Chemistry at JLU and has made significant contributions to various research areas in recent years.

His research areas include metal-free catalysis, nanodiamonds and the study of quantum mechanical tunneling phenomena. Particularly noteworthy is his discovery of a new driving force of chemical reactions, tunneling control, which enables deeper insights into quantum tunneling effects. In addition, he has authored influential work on London dispersion interactions and has innovated their application in chemistry. These advances are based on his combination of advanced computational methods and experimental design, which help to significantly improve the understanding of chemical reactivity.

Honors and awards

The Schrödinger Medal is not the only sign of Schreiner's outstanding achievements. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences. His previous honors include the Adolf von Baeyer Medal in 2017, an ERC Advanced Grant in 2022 and the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award in 2021. In 2024 he was also awarded the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation (DFG). These awards highlight not only his scientific expertise, but also his significant contributions to the research field.

The year 2025 was declared a “quantum year” by the German Physical Society to recognize the ongoing development of quantum theory. In this context, Schreiner's award takes on particular significance. His work in chemistry correlates closely with current developments in quantum mechanics.

Historical context of the Schrödinger Medal

Each year, the Schrödinger Medal honors scientists who have made outstanding contributions to theoretical chemistry. Since its inception in 1987, numerous prominent scientists have received this award, including the likes of Enrico Clementi and John Pople. Later winners also include innovative researchers such as Frank Neese and Gustavo Scuseria, who have made groundbreaking advances in their fields. A list of prize winners documents the continuity of scientific progress in theoretical chemistry and shows how important this discipline is to global scientific challenges.

By combining theory and practical experiments, Prof. Schreiner makes a significant contribution to exploiting the potential of theoretical chemistry and developing innovative solutions to current chemical problems. His work is a shining example of the influence that theoretical chemistry has on modern science.