The awards ceremony for the Ryoji Noyori Prize was held on February 24 at KKR Hotel in Tokyo at the annual general meeting of the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan (SSOCJ). The recipient of the 2004 award was Professor Dr. Dieter Seebach, Laboratorium fur Organische Chemie, , ETH Switzerland. Dr. Tetsuo Hiraoka, former chairman of the SSOCJ, presented the award to Professor Seebach, along with a plaque and prize money of $10,000.

The prize, sponsored by Takasago International Corporation, was established by the SSOCJ in 2002 to commemorate Professor Ryoji Noyori's winning of the 100th Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001 as well as to commemorate the 60th anniversary of SSOCJ. The prize is an international award given to one individual each year, regardless of age or nationality, who has made an outstanding contribution to research in asymmetric synthetic chemistry, defined in its broadest sense.

Professor Dieter Seebach is a scientist who has conducted leading-edge research for over 40 years and has developed a wide range of new concepts and theoretical frameworks in the field of synthetic organic chemistry. In addition to his work in basic organic synthesis and the development of new practical synthetic methods, Dr. Seebach has earned a superb reputation in many related fields, including materials science and biochemistry.

Following the awards ceremony, Professor Noyori admired Professor Seebach's great contributions on his speech:
"Professor Dieter Seebach is a preeminent scientist venerated by a great many people, myself included. He is extremely energetic, and his research, elucidated in nearly 800 published papers, has had wide influence. He is one of the most cited chemists alive today like E.J.Corey and J.-M. Lehn. We should also make special note of his ardor as an educator. A great many of his students are today active at universities and in private companies around the world. Had we never been graced with the likes of Professor Seebach, organic chemistry would not have achieved the high scientific standards that exist in the field today."

Professor Seebach's acceptance speech was entitled "Peptide Chemistry," and he gave a presentation on synthetic chemistry that uses biotechnology developed in Switzerland and worked on collaboratively in Japan.




Left to right: President Take, Chairman Niimura, Professor Seebach, Professor Noyori

Professor Dieter Seebach

Professor Ryoji Noyori