Prof. Dr. Ir. David Reinhoudt

The Royal Netherlands Chemical Society is pleased to appoint

Prof. Dr. Ir. D.N. Reinhoudt

as an honorary member of the Society in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the field of supramolecular chemistry.

Together with Prof. Ben Feringa, Prof. Roeland Nolte and Prof. Bert Meijer, Reinhoudt forms the so-called Dutch Golden Quartet in the field of supramolecular chemistry. The four have played a prominent role in the development of this chemical discipline, putting the Netherlands on the international map.

Reinhoudt is internationally regarded as one of the founders of molecular recognition. His work, which ranges from nanomanufacturing to non-covalent synthesis, is known for both its fundamental depth and its continuous pursuit of applications.

Reindhoudt made an instrumental contribution to the scientific community by linking chemistry to nanotechnology, constructing nanometre-sized objects using the so-called “bottom-up approach”. He and his group were among the first to create such structures by bringing together different components through supramolecular interactions.

Reinhoudt completed his academic training in 1969 with a summa cum laude PhD at Delft University of Technology. He continued his career at Shell Research. In 1975, he joined the University of Twente, first as an associate professor and, since 1978, as a professor of Supramolecular Chemistry and Technology. In 1999, Reinhoudt founded the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, where he served as scientific director for many years.

In addition to his insights and influence in the field of supramolecular interactions, the KNCV also praises his contribution to the future of the field. His vision for the future was the starting point for the NanoNed programme, which had an unprecedented impact on the Dutch chemical community.