KFIP winner, British Nobel laureate calls for stronger cooperation with Saudi scientists

RIYADH: James Fraser Stoddart, Nobel laureate and King Faisal International Prize (KFIP) winner, called for enhancing international cooperation in chemistry with Saudi scientists and scientific institutions.

Stoddart, who won the KFIP for Science in 2007 and the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2016, called for stronger cooperation with Saudi scientists and institutions during a meeting with Prince Turki bin Saud bin Mohammad, president of King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and Abdul Aziz Al-Sebail, secretary-general of the KFIP.

The KFIP said in a statement Monday that Stoddart was in Riyadh to deliver a special lecture at the KACST. During his speech, he shed light on his groundbreaking work on mechanical bonds.

“As one of the most prestigious awards in the world, the King Faisal International Prize makes use of every opportunity to share knowledge and experiences with experts in various fields,” Al-Sebail said.

He added: “The discussions with Stoddart highlight our efforts to constantly work together with scientists and researchers from all over the world to encourage initiatives that enrich human knowledge and contribute to the development of mankind.”

A world authority in mechanical chemistry and nano-science, Stoddart created a promising field of chemistry by introducing mechanical bonds into chemical compounds for which he was honored with the KFIP.

He won the Nobel Prize “for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.”

Stoddart has published more than 770 papers and delivered over 700 lectures worldwide. He is considered one of the most highly cited scientists in the world.

He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of London as well as many international science academies.

Notably, the KFIP has so far awarded 13 scientists from the field of chemistry. Out of these, three, including Stoddart, have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

The KFIP, which was first won by a scientist from the field of chemistry in 1990, has built its reputation as a global award that identifies major scientific breakthroughs years ahead of their recognition by other prestigious awards.

With its high benchmarks in the selection process, the award is currently reviewing nominations for its 40th session.

Launched by the King Faisal Foundation (KFF) and awarded for the first time in 1979, the KFIP, which is considered the Nobel Prize of the Arab and Islamic world, recognizes the outstanding work of individuals and institutions in five major categories: Service to Islam, Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine and science.