Prof. Dr. Floris Rutjes

The Royal Netherlands Chemical Society is pleased to appoint

Prof. Dr. F.P.J.T. Rutjes

as an honorary member of the Society in recognition of his significant contributions to raising the profile of chemical sciences in the Netherlands and beyond.

Prof. Rutjes' scientific research focuses on the synthesis of organic compounds. He is particularly involved in developing sustainable synthesis methods for producing small, often medically relevant molecules. In doing so, he focuses on new catalytic and environmentally friendly chemical routes, for example by using different types of catalysts simultaneously for a specific chemical reaction. The targets are often molecules with biological activity. Rutjes and his group have also made a very important contribution to the development of “click chemistry” (the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the founders of this concept in 2022) by designing and synthesising some of the most commonly used compounds for this purpose.

In the field of education, Floris Rutjes has more than earned his spurs at Radboud University Nijmegen as an enthusiastic lecturer, programme coordinator and vice-dean of education. Since 2019, he has been director of the Institute for Molecules & Materials at the university. Rutjes performs a multitude of committee and administrative tasks, often at the interface between science and technology. He is well known for having been a member of the General Board of the KNCV from 2015 to 2021, serving as its chair from 2016 to 2019.

However, the main reason for appointing Prof. Rutjes as an honorary member is his exceptional contribution to (improving) the visibility of chemistry, through the KNCV, as President of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS) and his leading role in the realisation of the IUPAC|CHAINS World Chemistry Congress in 2023. Floris Rutjes has become an active figurehead for (Dutch) chemical science. In addition to the considerable time commitment this entails, the energy with which he fulfils this connecting role is admirable.