An important recognition for Michele Parrinello’s work in the field of molecular dynamics
Michele Parrinello, the inventor of the groundbreaking “Car-Parrinello” method that combines electronic energy calculations with real-time molecular dynamics simulation and the Principal Investigator of the Atomistic Simulations line at IIT, has been awarded the Natta Award from the Polytechnic University of Milan today.
The prestigious recognition granted to Prof. Parrinello is awarded annually to individuals who have distinguished themselves in the world for the originality of their studies and research in one of the areas of interest of the Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta” (CMIC) at the Polytechnic University of Milan. Specifically, Parrinello was honored for his “exceptional contribution to the development of research in the field of molecular dynamics and the progress of this discipline.” The award was established in 2013 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Nobel Prize awarded to Giulio Natta.
The award ceremony, followed by a Lectio Magistralis, was attended by Donatella Sciuto, Vice Rector of the Polytechnic University of Milan, MariaPia Pedeferri, Director of the CMIC Department, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart (Northwestern University, USA), Nobel laureate in chemistry in 2016 and a recipient of the Natta Award in 2019, Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Maire Tecnimont, and Elena Bottinelli, Head of Innovation and Digitalization at the San Donato Group.
“It is a great honor to receive this recognition from such a prestigious institution as the Polytechnic University of Milan. The fact that the award is associated with the name of Natta, a great scientist who also contributed to Italy’s economic and social progress, makes me particularly proud. I would like to dedicate this award to the many collaborators, including many Politecnico students, who made this award possible,” commented Michele Parrinello.
On this occasion, the Natta Award for 2020 was also presented to Patrik Schmuki (Friedrich Alexander University, Germany).
Michele Parrinello graduated in Bologna in 1968 and began his academic career in Messina, from where he moved to Trieste, becoming a Full Professor at SISSA. In 1989, he began a long period of research abroad, first as a manager at the renowned IBM laboratories in Zurich, and then as Director at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart.
In the early 2000s, to be closer to Italy, he moved to Lugano with a position as a Professor at the Polytechnic University of Zurich (ETH) and the University of Italian Switzerland, and then to Genoa at the Italian Institute of Technology.
Prof. Parrinello has made significant contributions to the development of computer simulations of molecular dynamics, which have become one of the cornerstones of contemporary science. His most famous contribution is the widely cited Car and Parrinello method, which revolutionized the way these simulations are conducted, expanding their scope and predictive capability. His methods are taught in universities worldwide and have enabled applications to a wide range of current problems, such as the development of new drugs, the design of new energy materials, and the design of low-impact environmental chemical processes. Simulation programs developed in his group are used globally in both academia and industry.
Among the numerous awards he has received are the Dirac Prize from the ICTP, the Fermi Medal from the Italian Physical Society, and the Deyfuss Medal from the foundation of the same name. He is a member of many scientific academies, including the Accademia dei Lincei, the British Royal Society, and the National Academy of Sciences in America. He has received seven honorary degrees and has been conferred the title of Grand Officer by the President of the Republic.
