Recently, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 winners were announced. The prize was jointly awarded to Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa for the design and synthesis of molecular machines. Sir J. Fraser Stoddart is a short-term National 1000 Talent Scholar in the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology at Tianjin University and his efforts have been recognized by numerous awards.
On March 22, 2013, at the invitation of Jay Steven Siegel, the Dean of the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (SPST), (the first foreign Dean appointed at Tianjin University), Professor Stoddart paid his first visit to Tianjin University. Feng Cuiling, the Party Secretary of the SPST said: "Professor Stoddart was very fond of the academic atmosphere at Tianjin University, so he decided to come here to work and before he returned to the United States, he called Dean Siegel from the airport, saying that he wanted to bring his three 'disciples' to Tianjin University."
Through the efforts of SPST, the three young scientists, core members of Stoddart's research team, Mark A. Olson, Su Jihao, and Luo Jiayan, were selected as the Young National 1000 Talent Scholars. Currently, Luo Jiayan works in the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, while Mark A. Olson and Su Jihao work in the SPST to continue the research on "supramolecular machines" with Professor Stoddart.
In July 2014, Professor Stoddart was hired as a professor at the SPST. He worked two months each year. In September 2014, he began to offer courses for the students. Currently, Professor Stoddart’s laboratory is officially operational, and his research team continue to carry out research work.
On March 3, 2016, Professor Stoddart donated 500,000 RMB and set up a "Stoddart Development Fund" to help recruit more talented scientists to Tianjin University for the research into the synthesis of molecular machines. Professor Stoddart said, "People’s lives are full of various opportunities to receive and give. In the past, I was very lucky to receive a lot, so I enjoy the opportunity to give". Dean Siegel said that he shared Professor Stoddart view that students are the most important part of university education.
Professor Stoddart is an outstanding British scientist in the field of supramolecular chemistry and nanotechnology and was awarded Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Science degrees from the University of Edinburgh in 1966 and 1980, respectively. He was also awarded a Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, USA and an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK. He has received more than 100 awards, including the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award by the American Chemical Society in 1999 and the Centenary Prize Winner by Royal Society of Chemistry in 2014, in recognition of his efforts. Professor Stoddart was appointed a Knight Bachelor, by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2007. He also received the Albert Einstein World Science Award in the same year.
Essay from Jay Steven Siegel, the Dean of the School of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (SPST)
Today’s announcement, of Sir J Fraser Stoddart, Jean-Pierre Sauvage, and Ben Feringa as this year’s recipients of the Chemistry Nobel Prize, is a tremendous recognition of their decades of dedication to the development of molecular analogs of machines. These studies provide us fundamental knowledge about mechanical molecular engineering that will enable future generations of molecular devices applicable to societal challenges in the areas of energy, health and smart materials. The roots of this work date back to the 1980’s and came to my attention during my time as a graduate student with Professor Kurt Mislow at Princeton. Professor Stoddart and I first met at that time and have kept in contact over 30 years. During the 1990’s, we were colleagues in California, he at UCLA and I at UCSD. We have always had a positive scientific relationship and personal friendship. In 2013, as I took up the reigns as the first Western Dean of a Chinese Science school, I corresponded with Sir Fraser about our development of an international program at Tianjin University. He took specific interest in our center of Molecular Design and Synthesis. After we jointly established a Memorandum of Understanding with Northwestern University, Fraser was appointed as Perennial Distinguished Guest Professor and National 1000 Talent Scholar. In further recognition of Sir Fraser’s incredible purview of molecular science, he joined our international board of advisors and became a principal investigator in our 973 projects. With Fraser’s help, TJU was able to recruit several international and Chinese scholars including young national 1000 Talent Scholars - Mark Olson, Andrew C.-H. Sue. Sir Fraser has demonstrated great philanthropy in addition to outstanding scholarship at Tianjin University; he created the Sir J Fraser Stoddart scholarship to help support students studying in TJU's Molecular Science Center within the Health Science Platform. Sir Fraser’s contributions to TJU have greatly enhanced the excellence of our program across the board; he has been a major motivator and mentor alike. The entire community at TJU takes great pride in today’s announcement by the Nobel committee. TJU General Secretary LI Jiajun expressed his immense joy at the news and has endorsed our holding a special celebration at TJU to honor Sir Fraser’s accomplishments. Co-dean FENG Cuiling and I, as well as all TJU students, staff and scholars wish Professor Sir J Fraser Stoddart congratulations and great happiness on this occasion. We all look forward to continued positive cooperation with Sir Fraser as we grow our program to yet higher levels through his leadership.
