Robin Clark

The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) and the Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie (FMC) presented the inaugural Franklin-Lavoisier Prize to Robin Clark on 28 January 2009 at La Maison de la Chimie in Paris, France.

Robin J. H. Clark is Sir William Ramsay Professor Emeritus of Chemistry and former Dean of Science at University College London. He studied at the Universities of Canterbury and Otago and received a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at University College London. His research in inorganic chemistry and spectroscopy—more recently on metal-metal bonded complexes; mixed-valence chemistry; infrared, Raman and resonance Raman spectroscopy; matrix isolation spectroscopy; spectroelectrochemistry; and pigment studies mainly by Raman microscopy—has led to the publication of more than 500 scientific papers, 3 books, and 36 edited books.

Clark has held visiting professorships in 11 countries and has lectured at over 350 universities and institutions in 36 countries throughout the world. He has served on many national committees, including the councils of the Royal Society, the Royal Institution of Great Britain, University College London, and the Senate of the University of London. He has chaired the Steering Committee of the International Conferences on Raman Spectroscopy.

In 1989 Clark was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of London and a member of the Academia Europaea in 1990, a Fellow of University College London in 1992, an Honorary Life Fellow of the Royal Institution of Great Britain in 2004, and a Foreign Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, India, in 2007. He received an honorary D.Sc. from the University of Canterbury in 2001 and, in 2004, he was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science. In 2008 he gave the Bakerian lecture, the Royal Society's premier annual Prize Lecture in the physical sciences.

About the Franklin-Lavoisier Prize
Created in 2008, the Franklin-Lavoisier Prize is jointly awarded by the Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie (FMC) in Paris and the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF). Named for Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and Benjamin Franklin, two of the 18th century’s greatest minds, this prize recognizes unusually meritorious efforts in the preservation or promotion of the entwined scientific heritage of France and the United States.

Antoine Lavoisier Neville Collection, CHF Collections. Photo by Douglas A. Lockard.
Benjamin Franklin Neville Collection, CHF Collections. Photo by Douglas A. Lockard.

The purpose of the award is to acknowledge commendable work in

• the preservation and highlighting of any aspect of our common scientific or industrial heritage in the fields of chemistry and its related applications,
  
  
• the promotion of the history of the chemical and molecular sciences and industries, or
  
  
• the fostering of closer Franco-American ties and the promotion of significant activities in the chemical sciences or industries.

FMC and CHF also seek to promote public understanding of Franco-American relations in modern and historical science, industry, and economics.

Accompanied by a monetary award of €15,000, the Franklin-Lavoisier Prize is awarded every two years by a five-member international jury. Award ceremonies will take place alternately in the United States and France.

About the Sponsors
La Fondation de la Maison de la Chimie (FMC)
La Maison de la Chimie was founded in 1928, in Paris, with the goal of building and maintaining a central meeting and working space to promote the popularization of science and was organized for the service of chemists worldwide.  To fulfill this mission, la Maison de la Chimie provides a number of services and activities to facilitate cooperation between all those working to promote chemistry as one of the basic disciplines of science and technology.

The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) fosters an understanding of chemistry’s impact on society. An independent nonprofit organization, we strive to

• Inspire a passion for chemistry;
• Highlight chemistry’s role in meeting current social challenges; and
• Preserve the story of chemistry across centuries.

CHF maintains major collections of instruments, fine art, photographs, papers, and books. We host conferences and lectures, support research, offer fellowships, and produce educational materials. Our museum and public programs explore subjects ranging from alchemy to nanotechnology.

Nominations and Information
For more information on the Franklin-Lavoisier Prize, or to find out how to nominate someone for this award, send an e-mail to awards@chemheritage.org.