Charles University has awarded honorary doctorates honoris causa to two distinguished international experts: professor of physical chemistry Michael Grätzel at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, and professor of molecular biology Kari Jussi Hemminki, who is currently conducting research at the Biomedical Centre of the Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, Charles University.
Charles University awards the honorary academic title of Doctor honoris causa to personalities who have made a significant contribution to the development of science, culture or otherwise contributed to the benefit of mankind.
Michael Grätzel is a professor at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. His collaboration with Charles University spans more than four decades. He has worked with the Department of Inorganic Chemistry of the Faculty of Science of Charles University on the scientific education of PhD students. In particular, he works at the Laboratory of Photonics and Interphases, which is one of the world's most prestigious centres for the development of new materials and technologies for energy conversion and storage.
Professor Grätzel is a pioneer in the study of energy transfer and electron transport in mesoscopic systems and their use for the conversion of solar energy into electricity in solar cells or for water splitting and the production of environmentally friendly fuels. So-called Grätzel cells are now commercially produced and used as power sources for mobile electronic devices or as photovoltaic devices aesthetically integrated into buildings. Research into dye-sensitised cells has paved the way for so-called perovskite solar cells, which currently represent the biggest breakthrough in the history of photovoltaics.
In 2024, Prof. Grätzel was awarded the highest medal of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, De scientia et humanitate optime meritis, and is the recipient of many other prestigious international awards. He has also received 15 honorary doctorates from universities in Europe and Asia. And he is currently the most cited chemist in the world, as evidenced by his 2,250 publications, 504,000 citations and H-index of 311.
Charles University and its Faculty of Science acknowledge Prof. Michael Grätzel's fundamental contribution to the research of electron transport processes in mesoscopic systems, the development of dye-sensitized and perovskite solar cells as well as new materials for batteries, and his long-standing active collaboration with Czech scientists.
Photo: Vladimír Šigut
Text: Jan Velinger, iForum