ROBERTO CAR receives American Chemistry Society national award

Roberto Car

Roberto Car (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Roberto Car, the Ralph W. *31 Dornte Professor in Chemistry, was recognized for his innovative research by the American Chemical Society (ACS) during a ceremony March 15, 2016. He received the ACS Award in Theoretical Chemistry for the “depth, originality and scientific significance” of his work.

Car’s research explores materials at the level of atoms and electrons. He uses theoretical tools and numerical simulations to gain insight into the chemical and physical processes underlying chemical reactions. While Car’s research is theoretical and fundamental, his discoveries may have technological implications that can aid in the design of new materials and devices with desirable properties. Car, who is a professor of chemistry and the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials, is known for the invention of an ab initio moleculardynamics method with Italian physicist Michele Parrinello that is now a standard tool for molecular simulation. The method has been applied to a variety of problems in condensed matter and chemical physics, materials science, geosciences, chemistry and biochemistry.