Professor James Tour
Winner: 2020 Centenary Prize
Rice University
For innovations in materials chemistry, with applications in medicine and nanotechnology.
Celebrate Professor James Tour
#RSCAwards
There are more discoveries to be made – big discoveries. We are trying to hit homeruns. Sometimes we only get to first base, but we are swinging for the fences.
Professor Tour has paved the way in numerous areas of research, using his synthetic organic chemistry skills to advance a new generation of carbon materials for nanotechnology. These can be applied to ultra-strong materials, advances in medicine and in electronics and the development of several renewable energy platforms.
In addition to his 700 research publications – which have been cited by others more than 100,000 times – Professor Tour has over 130 patent families (meaning that the actual number of patents is about three times that when considering jurisdictions). This has led to his starting 12 companies which remain active, two of which are now public companies, in fields spanning materials, electronics and medicine.
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