István Hargittai#
Biography#
Istvan Hargittai is a physical chemist and professor emeritus (active) at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. He is a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Academia Europaea (London), and a foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters (Oslo). He is a PhD and DSc, and has honorary doctorates from Lomonosov Moscow State University, the University of North Carolina, and the Russian Academy of Sciences. He has been Founding Editor-in-Chief of the international periodical Structural Chemistry (Springer Nature) since 1989. He has published over three hundred research papers and reviews and has published hundreds of other papers, in particular in science dissemination and popularization. He has authored and edited over fifty books about structural chemistry, history of science, the nature of scientific discovery, memorials of scientists, conversations with famous scientists, and other topics. His books have appeared in English, Hungarian, Russian, German, Swedish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, and in the Farsi language.
Curriculum vitae#
Education, degrees, academy memberships:
- Eötvös University, Budapest, 1959-1961
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1961-1965, Master's degree, Chemistry 1965
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), Budapest, Candidate of Science (Ph.D. equivalent) 1971, Doctor of Science 1976 Eötvös University, Budapest, Dr. rer. nat. 1972
- Corresponding Member, HAS, 1987, Full Member, 1993
- Foreign Member, Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, 1988
- Dr. honoris causa, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 1992, University of North Carolina, 2000, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2004
- Member, Academia Europaea (London), 1994
Current position: University Professor, Emeritus, Budapest University of Technology and Economics.
Former positions: Head of the George A. Olah Ph.D. School, Budapest University of Technology and Economics (BUT), Chair of the Doctoral Council and Habilitation Committee, Faculty of Chemical and Biotechnology, BUT, Member of the Doctoral Council and Habilitation Committee, BUT, Head of "Materials Structure and Modeling" Research Group of HAS
Career summary (selected):
- Research Scientist, Senior Scientist, Science Advisor, Department Head, HAS, 1965-2006
- Visiting Scientist/Visiting Professor, University of Oslo, 1968, 1975, 1981
- Visiting Scientist/Visiting Professor, Department of Physics, University of Texas (UT), Austin, 1969-1970, Department of Chemistry, Summer 1986, Fall 1986, Summers 1987, 1989
- Visiting Professor of Physics, University of Connecticut (UConn), Storrs, 1983-84, Visiting Professor of Chemistry, UConn, 1984-85, 1988-89
- Visiting Professor of Chemistry, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, 1989, 1993
- Professor of Chemistry, BUT, 1991-2011, Head of Institute of General and Analytical Chemistry, Budapest Technical University,1991-96
- Distinguished Visiting Professor of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW), 1996-97, Springs 1998, 1999
- Visiting Scientist, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, UK, Spring 2000
- Visiting Scholar, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, Spring 2002
- Visiting Fellow, Matrix Biology Institute, Edgewater, NJ, Summers 2007-2015
Career-related activities:
- Principal Investigator, HAS-UT, Austin, joint molecular structure research project, 1973-1977
- Consultant, Sektion für Strukturdokumentation, Universität Ulm, 1977-1992
- Scientific director, International Summer School "Diffraction Studies on Non-Crystalline Substances", Pécs, Hungary, 1978
- Consultant, Commission on Electron Diffraction, IUCr, 1979-1981
- Co-director, International School of Crystallography, Erice, Italy, 1985, 2001
- Head of Ph.D. Program in Chemistry, BUT, 1993-2000
- Chair, Program Committee, Quasicrystals International School, Balatonfüred, 1995
- Co-organizer, 1st & 2nd UNCW Symposia on Chemistry and Biochemistry, 197, 1998
- Co-organizer, "Symmetry 2000" Symposium, Stockholm, 2000
- Co-chair of Workshop "Exploring Hungarian-United States Science & Technology Cooperative Opportunities," Budapest 2006
Current editorial activities:
- Editor-in-Chief, Structural Chemistry (Springer)
- Editorial Advisor, Leonardo (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA)
- Editorial Board, Foundations of Chemistry (Springer)
- International Advisory Board, Russian Chemical Bulletin (Moscow/New York)
- Editorial Board, Moscow State University Bulletin, Chemistry Section (Moscow)
Former editorial activities
Editor-in-Chief, The Chemical Intelligencer, Advisory/Editorial Board, Advances in Molecular Structure Research, Methods in Stereochemical Analysis, Speculations in Science and Technology, Computers & Mathematics with Applications, A kémia újabb eredményei, Kémiai Közlemények, ACH - Models in Chemistry, Journal of Biological Systems, Fullerene Science and Technology
Professional and association memberships (Current and Former):
Hungarian Chemical Society, Commission of Electron Diffraction of IUCr, Hungarian National Committee of IUCr, Hungarian National Committee of CODATA, Hungarian National Committee of UNESCO, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society, Chair, Committee on Physical Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry, HAS, Chair, Michael Polanyi Prize Award Committee, HAS, Loránd Eötvös Physical Society, American Association of University Professors, American Chemical Society, Japan Institute of Hyperspace Science, The New York Academy of Sciences, International Advisory Board of Earth Sustainability Foundation (Vancouver), International Symmetry Society
Awards, etc. (selection):
- Academy prize, Budapest, authors, 1977, 1997, 2011, 2013, 2015, book critics, 1979
- O. Hassel Lectureship, University of Oslo, 1981
- Best Journal Issue Award by the Association of American Publishers, 1986
- Joint Research Award of the Hungarian and Soviet Academies of Sciences, 1988
- Dozor Visiting Professor, Ben-Gurion-University of the Negev, Israel, 1991
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Visiting Professor, 1992, Fellow, 2005
- Kaskan Lectureship, State University of New York at Binghamton, 1994
- The Japan Academy, Visiting Professor, 1994
- First George A. Olah Lectureship, USC, Los Angeles, 1996
- Szechenyi State Prize of Hungary (shared w/M. Hargittai), 1996
- Krengel Visiting Professorship, Technion, Haifa, Israel, 1996
- Wenner-Gren Distinguished Lectureship, Stockhom, Sweden, October, 1996
- Distinguished Lecturer, California Institute of Technology, May, 1999
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Lectureship, Stockholm, December 2001
- Chandler Society (Columbia University) Lecture, October 2002
- Erdey László Prize, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 2003
- Distinguished Wunsch Lectureship, Technion, Haifa, Israel, 2007
- "Scientist of Science popularization" by the Club of Science Journalists, 2011
- "József Nádor" Medal of BUT, 2013
Numerous invited lectureships at international meetings
Numerous invited seminars
Visits, invited lectures in: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China (PR), Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, the German Democratic Republic, Great Britain, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (Republic of), the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Yugoslavia
Television, Radio Interviews (selection) CUNY Public Television, New York; Hungarian Television, Budapest; Duna Television, Budapest; Barcelona Television (REDES TVE), Klub Radio, Budapest; Petöfi Radio, Budapest; Bartók Radio, Budapest; Info Radio, Budapest
Research interest: Structural chemistry; sulfur and silicon stereochemistry; coordination compounds; metal halides; unstable species; high-temperature chemistry; gas-phase electron diffraction; combined use of experimental techniques and theoretical chemistry; gas/solid structure differences; intramolecular and intermolecular interactions; models of molecular geometry; history and culture of chemistry; general problems of symmetry, great scientific discoveries and scientists of the 20th century.
Teaching: Undergraduate and graduate-level teaching between 1971 and 2011 on molecular structure, electron scattering, spectroscopy, structural chemistry, general physics, general chemistry, symmetry, science for non-science majors, MSc, Dr.rer.nat., PhD thesis advisor in Hungary, USA, Switzerland, Israel, Italy
Outreach Programs: Lectures to various organizations (Fulbright Organization, Kiwanis Club, Rotary Club, Jewish Cultural Center Budapest, American Chemical Society, etc.) on symmetry; on scientific discovery; on famous scientists; on science policy; on the Nobel Prize; on success in science; etc.
Education, degrees, memberships in science academies:
- Eötvös University, Budapest, 1959-1961
- Moscow University, Moscow, 1961-1965, Master’s degree in chemistry 1965
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS), Budapest, Candidate of Science (Ph.D. equivalent) 1971
- Eötvös University, Budapest, Dr. rer. nat. 1972
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Science 1976
- Corresponding Member, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1987
- Foreign Member, Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, 1988
- Dr. honoris causa, Moscow University, 1992
- Full Member, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1993
- Member, Academia Europaea (London), 1994
- D.Sc. honoris causa, University of North Carolina, 2000
- Dr. honoris causa, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2004
Current positions:
- University Professor, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1991-
- Head of the George A. Olah Ph.D. School, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 2000-
- Head of Materials Structure and Modeling Research Group of HAS at Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 2007-
- Chair, Award Committee, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of *Technology and Economics, 2008-
Career summary:
- Research Scientist, Center for Studies on Chemical Structures, HAS, 1965-1973
- Visiting Scientist, Chemistry Institute, University of Oslo, 1968, 1975, 1981
- Research Associate, Department of Physics, University of Texas, Austin, 1969/1970
- Research Scientist, 1973-1975, Senior Research Scientist, 1975-76, Central Research Institute of Chemistry, HAS
- Head of Department of Electron Diffraction & Quantum Chemistry, Central Research Institute of Chemistry, HAS, 1976-1979
- Head of Department of Structural Studies, Research Laboratory for Inorganic Chemistry, HAS, 1979-1986
- Science Advisor (HAS), 1982-1993
- Research Professor of HAS at Eötvös University, 1993-2006, Head of Structural Chemistry Research Group, HAS, at Eötvös University, 1986-2006
- Visiting Professor of Physics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, 1983/84
- Visiting Professor of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, 1984/85, 1988/89
- Visiting Professor of Chemistry, University of Texas, Austin, Summer 1986, Fall 1986, Summer 1987, Summer 1989
- Visiting Professor of Chemistry, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Fall 1989, Spring 1993
- Head of Institute of General and Analytical Chemistry, Budapest Technical University, 1991-96
- Distinguished Visiting Professor of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 1996/97, Spring 1998, Spring 1999
- Visiting Scholar, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, U.K., Spring Semester 2000
- Visiting Scholar, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, Spring Semester 2002
- Chair of the Doctoral Council and Habilitation Committee, Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 2006-2009
- Member of the Doctoral Council and Habilitation Committee, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 2006-2009
- Visiting Scholar, Matrix Biology Institute, Edgewater, New Jersey, Spring 2007; Spring 2008; Spring 2009, Spring 2010
Career-related activities:
- Title of Associate Professor, Eötvös University, 1975, Title of Professor, Eötvös University, 1980
- Principal Investigator, HAS-University of Texas joint molecular structure research project, 1973-1977
- Member, Directors’ Council, Central Research Institute of Chemistry, HAS, 1976-1979
- Consultant, Sektion für Strukturdokumentation, Universität Ulm, 1977-1992
- Scientific director, International Summer School "Diffraction Studies on
- Non-Crystalline Substances", Pecs, Hungary, 1978
- Consultant, Commission on Electron Diffraction, International Union of Crystallography, 1979-1981
- Co-director, International School of Crystallography, 11th Course, Static and Dynamic Implications of *Precise Structural Information, Erice, Italy, 1985
- Head of Ph.D. Program in Inorganic Chemistry and Applied Chemical Research, Budapest Technical University, 1993-2000
- Chair, Program Committee, Quasicrystals International School, Balatonfüred, 1995
- Initiator and Co-organizer, First and Second UNCW Symposia on Chemistry and Biochemistry, Wilmington, NC, 1997 and 1998
- Co-organizer, “Symmetry 2000” Symposium, Wenner-Gren Foundation, Stockholm, 2000
- Co-director, International School of Crystallography, Strength from Weakness: Structural Consequences of Weak Interactions in Molecules, Supermolecules, and Crystals, Erice, Italy, 2001
- Member, Advisory Board, Hungarian-American Enterprise Scholarship Fund (HAESF), 2005-2008
- Organizer and Co-chair of Workshop “Exploring Hungarian – United States Science & Technology Cooperative Opportunities,” Budapest 2006
- Member, King Faisal International Prize in Science Committee (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia), 2007
- Member, International Advisory Committee, Second Saint-Petersburg International Conference on NanoBiotechnologies, 2008
- Editorial activities, Periodicals, Book Series:
- Editor-in-Chief, Structural Chemistry (Springer, New York) 2001-
- Editor-in-Chief, The Chemical Intelligencer (Springer, New York) 1995-2000
- Co-Editor, Structural Chemistry (Plenum Press, New York) 1987-2000
- Co-Editor, Advances in Molecular Structure Research (JAI, Greenwich, CT) 1995-2000
- Advisory Board, Methods in Stereochemical Analysis (Wiley-VCH, New York)
- Editorial Board, Speculations in Science and Technology (London) [now defunct]
- Editorial Board, Computers & Mathematics with Applications (Pergamon Press, Oxford) [resigned in 1998]
- Editorial Advisor, Leonardo (MIT Press, Cambridge, MA)
- Editorial Board, A kémia újabb eredményei (HAS, Budapest) [now defunct]
- Editorial Board, Kémiai Közlemények (HAS, Budapest) [now defunct]
- Advisory Board, ACH – Models in Chemistry (HAS, Budapest) [now defunct]
- Editorial Board, Journal of Biological Systems (World Scientific, Singapore)
- Editorial Board, Fullerene Science and Technology (New York, till 1998)
- Editorial Board, Foundations of Chemistry (Kluwer Scientific, Dordrecht)
- International Advisory Board, Russian Chemical Bulletin (Moscow/New York)
- Editorial Board, Moscow State University Bulletin, Chemistry Section (Moscow)
Professional and association memberships:
- Member, Commission of Electron Diffraction, International Union of Crystallography, 1981-1990
- Member, Hungarian National Committee of the International Union of Crystallography (resigned in 2001)
- Member, Hungarian National Committee of CODATA, 1978-1985
- Member, Advisory Board of the Austin Symposia on Molecular Structure, 1992-
- Member, UNESCO, Hungarian National Committee, 1992-1997
- Chairman, Task Group on Gas-Phase Structural Data, Hungarian National Committee of CODATA, 1981-1985
- Member, Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society (USA), 1984
- Chairman, Committee on Physical Chemistry and Inorganic Chemistry, HAS, 1990-1996
- Chairman, Michael Polanyi Prize Award Committee, HAS, 1992-1996
- Member, Hungarian Chemical Society
- Member, Lorand Eötvös Physical Society
- Member, International Group for Correlation Analysis in Chemistry
- Member, American Association of University Professors, 1983-85, 1988-89
- Member, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, 1983/1985, 1988/89 Member, American Chemical Society, 1985
- Foreign Member, Japan Institute of Hyperspace Science, 1992
- Member, The New York Academy of Sciences, 1987
- Member, International Advisory Board, Earth Sustainability Foundation (Vancouver) (now defunct)
- Honorary Member, International Symmetry Society, 1992- (Honorary President 2003-2006)
Awards, etc.:
- Academy prize for authors, Budapest, 1977
- Academy prize for book critics, Budapest, 1979
- O. Hassel Lectureship, University of Oslo, 1981
- F. Torok Lectureship, University of Arkansas, 1986
- Best Journal Issue Award by the Association of American Publishers, 1986
- Joint Research Award of the Hungarian and Soviet Academies of Sciences, 1988
- Dozor Visiting Professor, Ben-Gurion-University of the Negev, Israel, 1991
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Visiting Professor, 1992
- Presentation and Introduction to the Academy of Sciences, Institut France, Paris, 1993
- Kaskan Lectureship, State University of New York at Binghamton, 1994
- The Japan Academy, Visiting Professor, 1994
- The Royal Society, Visiting Professor, Birkbeck College, London, 1994
- First George A. Olah Lectureship, USC, Los Angeles, 1996
- Szechenyi State Prize of Hungary (shared w/M. Hargittai), 1996
- Krengel Visiting Professorship, Technion, Haifa, Israel, 1996
- Keynote Speaker (w/M. Hargittai), Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, 1996
- Wenner-Gren Distinguished Lectureship, Stockholm, Sweden, October, 1996
- Distinguished Lecturer, California Institute of Technology (Laboratory of Molecular Sciences), Pasadena, May, 1999
- Kentucky Colonel of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, 2001
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Lectureship, Stockholm, December 2001
- Chandler Society (Columbia University) Lecture, October 2002
- Fifth Medical School Lecture, University of Manchester, U.K., 2003
- Erdey László Prize, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 2003
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellow, 2005
- Edison House Lecturer, USAITC-A, London, 2006
- Medals of the U.S. Department of Defense Director of Defense Research and Engineering, 2006; U.S. Army *International Technology Center, 2006; Research Development Engineering Command, 2006
- Distinguished Joseph Wunsch Lectureship, Technion, Haifa, Israel, 2007
- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (New York) Grant Award, 2009
- Invited lectureships at international meetings include:
- Current Research in Crystallography, Manchester, 1971
- Fourth European Conference on Microwave Spectroscopy, Tübingen, 1977
- Seventh Austin Symposium on Gas-Phase Molecular Structure, 1978
- Eighth European Crystallography Meeting, Liege, 1983
- Tenth Austin Symposium on Molecular Structure, 1984
- Symmetry Symposium, Darmstadt, 1986
- Quantum Theory and Experiment Applied to Solids, College Park, MD, 1986
- Shubnikov Centennial Meeting, Moscow, 1987
- Z. Phys. Chemie Centennial Meeting, Leipzig, 1987
- Art and Technology Conference, Lisbon, 1987
- Twelfth Austin Symposium on Molecular Structure, 1988 (Banquet speaker)
- 9th IUPAC Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry, Regensburg, 1988
- Fourteenth Austin Symposium on Molecular Structure, 1992
- Art and Mathematics Conference, Albany, NY, 1992
- NATO Advanced Research Workshop: Structures and Conformations of Non-rigid Molecules, Ulm, 1992
- 22nd Congress of the Italian Crystallographic Association, L'Aquila, 1992
- Fifth European Meeting of Gas Electron Diffraction, Blaubeuern, 1993
- Current Trends in Computational Chemistry, Vicksburg, MS, 1993
- 14th International Symposium of Fluorine Chemistry, Yokohama, 1994
- 1st World Congress of Transdisciplinarity, Setubal, Portugal, 1994
- Current Trends in Computational Chemistry, Vicksburg, MS, 1994 (Banquet speaker)
- NATO Adv. Study Inst.: Large Clusters of Atoms and Molecules, Erice, Italy, 1995
- Fourth Croatian-Slovenian Crystallographic Meeting, Trakoscan, Croatia, 1995
- Nexus: Architecture and Mathematics Conference, Fucecchio, Italy, 1996
- 9th Spanish Crystallographic Congress, Granada, Spain, 1996
- Current Trends in Computational Chemistry, Vicksburg, MS, 1997 (After-Dinner Speaker)
- Clusters, Cages and Giant Molecules: Structure and Function. Can Discrete
- Mathematics Help? Bielefeld, Germany, 1997
- Second UNCW Symposium on Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1998 (After-Dinner Speaker)
- Frontiers of Biomedical Research, Indian Wells, California, 1998
- M. C. Escher Centennial Congress, Rome, Italy, 1998
- Third UNCW Symposium on Chemistry and Biochemistry, 1999
- European Electron Diffraction Meeting, Blaubeuren , Germany, June, 1999
- Fourth “Intuitive Geometry” Meeting, Budapest, November, 1999
- First Central European Chemistry Conference, Varasdin, Croatia, June 2000
- Symmetry 2000, Wenner-Gren Symposium, Stockholm, September 2000
- International School of Crystallography, Erice, Italy, May-June 2001
- First European Conference on Combinatorial Chemistry, Budapest, July 2001
- 10th Conference on Current Trends in Computational Chemistry, Jackson, MS, 2001
- Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, December 12, 2001
- Chemical Heritage Foundation Meeting, Philadelphia, 2002 (After-Dinner Speaker)
- International Symmetry Symposium, Budapest, 2003 (Keynote speaker)
- Michael Polanyi Symposium, Budapest, 2003 (Opening Lecture)
- International School of Crystallography, Erice, Italy, 2004
- European Science Forum, Stockholm, 2004
- Highgate Literary & Scientific Institution, London, 2005
- Academia Europaea, International Symmetry Symposium, London, 2005
- Culture of Form Conference, Keynote Lecture, Tokyo, 2005
- World Science Forum, Budapest, Keynote Lecture, 2005
- Not Strictly Inorganic Chemistry (NoSIC-2) meeting, Prullans de Cerdanya, Spain, 2006
- International Symmetry Conference, Budapest, 2006
- West Point Military Academy (Award dinner speaker), 2007
- R. J. Gillespie Symposium of the Canadian Chemical Society, Hamilton, 2009
- International Congress of History of Science and Technology, Budapest, 2009
Visits, invited lectures:
Australia; Austria; Belgium; Canada; China (PR); Croatia; Czechoslovakia; Denmark; the Federal Republic of Germany; France; the German Democratic Republic; Great Britain; Italy; Israel; Japan; Korea (Republic of); Liechtenstein; the Netherlands; New Zealand; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico; Romania; Russia; Saudi Arabia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey; U.S.A.; U.S.S.R.; Yugoslavia
Invited seminars and lectures include:
Charles University (Prague), Moscow University, Soviet Academy of Sciences (Moscow), D.D.R. Academy of Sciences (Berlin), The Hebrew University (Jerusalem), Technion (Haifa), The Weizmann Institute (Rehovot), Bar Ilan University (Tel Aviv), Ben Gurion University (Beer Sheva), Technical University of Bucharest, Argonne
National Laboratory (Argonne, IL), Naval Research Laboratory (Washington, DC), Cornell University (Ithaca, NY), University of Florida (Gainesville), University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Smith College (Northampton, MA), Birkbeck College (London), University of Manchester Institute of Technology, University of Edinburgh, McMaster University (Hamilton, Ont.), Polish Academy of Sciences (Warsaw), Rocasolano Institute of Physical Chemistry (Madrid), University of Granada, University of Leiden, University of Leuven, University of Frankfurt, University of Münster, German Chemical Society (Göttingen), University of Ulm, University of Trondheim, Oregon State University (Corvallis), IBM T.J. Watson Research Center (Yorktown Heights, NY), University of Bern, University of Fribourg, University of Lausanne, ETH Physics Institute (Zürich), Solid State Research Institute of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft (Stuttgart), University of Rome, University of Milan, CNR Structural Chemistry Laboratory (Montelibretti), Tokyo University, Ochanomizu University (Tokyo), Institute for Molecular Science (Okazaki), Kyushu University (Fukuoka), Hokkaido University (Sapporo), Seoul National University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Taejon), University of Paris (Orsay), Pasteur University (Strasbourg), University of Bologna, University of Wiscosin (Madison), Northwestern University (Evanston, IL), University of Vienna, Technical University of Vienna, Toyohashi University of Technology, Kobe University, University of Sussex (Brighton), National Science Foundation (Washington, D.C.), U.S. Army Research Lab. (Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD), Georgetown University (Washington, D.C.), University of Maryland (College Park), Technical University (Berlin), University of Göttingen, University of Essen, ETH Chemistry Institute (Zürich), New York University, Bogazici University (Istanbul), German Institute for the Environment (Munich), University of Heidelberg, University of Minnesota, University of Chicago, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, California Institute of Technology (Pasadena), University of Southern California (Los Angeles), Getty Conservation Institute (Los Angeles), Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine (Palo Alto, California), Smithsonian Institution (Washington, DC), Texas A&M University (College Station), University of New Hampshire (Durham), University of Uppsala (Sweden), University of Stockholm, University of Lund (Sweden), Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Stockholm), ACS Sections (Eastern North Carolina, Lehigh Valley, Carolina-Piedmont), University of Kentucky, Princeton University, Moravian College (Bethlehem, PA), Purdue University, University of Cincinnati, University of California at San Diego, New Zealand Institute of Chemistry, University of Auckland, Cambridge University (U.K.), Princeton University, University of Georgia (Athens), Mississippi College (Clinton), Carnegie-Mellon University (Pittsburgh), University of Manchester Medical School; Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), U.S. Military Academy (West Point, New York), Technion Medical School (Haifa), American-Hungarian Foundation, New Brunswick, New Jersey, Hungarian Historical Society (Budapest), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA).
Television Interviews, Discussions, Presentation; Radio Interviews
CUNY Public Television, New York; Hungarian Television, Budapest; Duna Television, Budapest; ATV Television, Budapest; Barcelona Television (REDES TVE); Klub Radio, Budapest; Petőfi Radio, Budapest; Bartók Radio, Budapest; Info Radio, Budapest, Catholic Radio, Hungary, etc.
Research interest:
Structural chemistry; sulfur and silicon stereochemistry; coordination compounds; metal halides; unstable species; high-temperature chemistry; gas-phase electron diffraction; combined use of experimental techniques and theoretical chemistry; gas/solid structure differences; intramolecular and intermolecular interactions; models of molecular geometry; history and culture of chemistry; general problems of symmetry, great scientific discoveries and scientists of the 20th century.
