We are happy to announce that Dr. Meera Mehta from the University of Manchester has won the Clara Immerwahr Award 2024. She was awarded for her outstanding research, dedication, and the significant impact she has made in the area of catalysis.
The Mehta group is interested in understanding the fundamental reactivity patterns of homogenous main group compounds to develop sustainable catalysts. Research efforts in the group are largely focused on applying these metal-free catalysts for the synthesis of important feedstock chemicals used by the manufacturing sector and for the removal and recycling of environmental toxins (e.g., greenhouse gases). These research efforts feed into the UN sustainable development goals: affordable and clean energy; responsible consumption and production; and climate action. As well as the European Green Deal and global clean growth efforts. To achieve these goals, the Mehta group uses methods in inert-atmosphere synthesis, organic catalysis, conducting reactions at the gas-solution interface, NMR spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction, EPR spectroscopy, and computational chemistry, amongst others.
The Clara Immerwahr Award, launched by UniCat in 2011, is an award for promoting equity and excellence in catalysis research fostering young female scientists at an early stage of their career. The award is dedicated to Dr. Clara Immerwahr (1870-1915), who was the first woman in Germany to earn a doctorate in Physical Chemistry in 1900. The Clara Immerwahr Award is conferred annually by UniSysCat to a young female scientist at an early stage of her career (postdoctoral fellow, junior researcher) for outstanding results in Catalysis Research. It is associated with financial support of 15.000 euros for a research stay at UniSysCat and is thought to establish close collaborative links with UniSysCat working groups.
We are looking forward to a dynamic and collaborative research interchange with Meera Mehta, in the spirit of the Clara Immerwahr Award. All recipients of this award have served as role models for aspiring female scientists, inspiring young women and girls to pursue careers in this field!
The award ceremony will take place on the 12th of April 2024 at the TU Berlin.