Announcing the 2020 Struchkov Prize winners for early-career work in crystallography
The CCDC is excited to announce the 2020 Struchkov Prize winners. Advancing structural science is a global effort, and the CCDC has been a proud financial supporter of the Struchkov Prize Association (SPA) since 2015.
Nine young crystallographers – four from Moscow, two from Kazan and one from Novosibirsk, St. Petersburg and Chelyabinsk – submitted papers, which were scored by ten experts representing different crystallographic laboratories. Alexander Sukhikh (junior scientist at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry of Siberian Branch of RAS – Novosibirsk) and Alexander Ovsyannikov (senior scientist at the Institute of Organic and Physical Chemistry of RAS – Kazan) shared the 2020 Struchkov Prize for their works “X-Ray study of structural organization of layers of substituted and unsubstituted phthalocyanines” and “Thiacalix[4]arenes and [1.1.1.] metacyclophanes as effective building blocks for the design of coordination polymers with given spatial structures and functional properties in crystals,” respectively.
Two supplementary prizes were also awarded. One to Alexander Tskhovrebov (research fellow at the Institute of Chemical Physics of the RAS – Moscow) for his submission “Activation of small molecules with the element-nitrogen triple bonds.” Another went to Kristina Kisel (junior scientist at the Institute of Chemistry of the St. Petersburg State University) for her work “Structural diversity of complexes of rhenium(I): approaches to fine-tuning of photophysical behaviour.”
SPA is a non-profit organization established in honour of Prof. Yuri T. Struchkov, a prominent Russian scholar and crystallographer. Among his other achievements, Struchkov founded the X-Ray Structural Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences – one of the most productive small-molecule organic crystallography laboratories in the world – and served as its longtime director (ref). SPA promotes excellence in structural science by recognizing emerging scholars in the fields of chemistry, crystallography, physics, materials and related sciences. Originally founded in 1997, the Struchkov Prize has been awarded annually to Russia-based scientists working in crystallography. SPA is pleased to announce that through the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), the Prize will be a global award moving forward. It will be presented on a triannual basis to three up-and-coming scientists working in small molecules, crystallography or closely related areas. There will be no geographical or language restrictions on applications. This new international format reflects Struchkov’s tireless work to establish scientific collaborations that transcend national borders.
Since its inception, 24 Struchkov competitions have been held, and more than 30 top and 50 secondary prizes have been awarded. Award amounts have increased substantially over the years – from $500 (USD) in 1997 to over $5,000 (USD) in 2020 – and SPA is proud to say that 100% of all contributions go to the laureates of the Struchkov Prize competition. (ref) The next Prize will be awarded in 2023.
Learn more about how to apply for the 2023 Struchkov Prize.
Learn more about the Struchkov Prize’s new global format.