Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this year will be awarded to a trio of scientists: Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt, and Arieh Warshel. They received the prestigious award "for the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems."

• Martin Karplus:
  • Education: Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the Institute of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1962)
  • Contribution: Pioneered the development of theoretical models simulating chemical reactions using classical mechanics and quantum mechanics.
• Michael Levitt:
  • Education: Ph.D. in Physics from Cambridge University (1967)
  • Contribution: Developed computational methods for simulating large biological molecules like proteins and enzymes, using simplified models.
• Arieh Warshel:
  • Education: Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science (1976)
  • Contribution: Bridged the gap between classical and quantum mechanics, creating a unified framework for simulating complex chemical processes in enzymes.

Their combined work:

• Revolutionized the field of computational chemistry, enabling scientists to simulate and understand complex chemical reactions at the atomic and molecular level.
• Paved the way for the development of new drugs, materials, and other technologies by providing valuable insights into chemical processes.