Foundation

Dr. Barbara Mez-Starck Foundation

The International Dr. Barbara Mez-Starck Prize recognizes outstanding contributions to experimental structural chemistry and molecular physics.

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International Prize

In memoriam of Barbara Mez-Starck

The Dr. Barbara Mez-Starck Foundation in Freiburg, Germany awards a prize for outstanding contributions in experimental structural chemistry and molecular physics, including electron diffraction, microwave spectroscopy, and high-resolution infrared spectroscopy.

Dr. Barbara Mez-Starck dedicated her life to science. Born in Berlin in 1924, she chose an academic career and later became head of the Section for Spectra and Structure Documentation at the University of Ulm. In the mid-1970s, she established MOGADOC, a database for gas-phase substances investigated by electron diffraction, microwave spectroscopy, or molecular radio astronomy.

Her father's legacy enabled her to establish the foundation, whose aim is to promote research in chemistry and physics.

Awardees

List of Awardees

2016 Mez-Starck Prize 2016

Prof. Dr. Michael C. McCarthy, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, was awarded for his microwave spectroscopic studies of reactive molecular intermediates, especially molecular cations and anions.

2015 Mez-Starck Prize 2015

Prof. Dr. Heinz Oberhammer, Eberhard-Karls-University of Tübingen, was awarded for comprehensive gas-phase electron diffraction studies of fluorides, peroxides, phosphorus, and iminosulfur compounds.

2015 Mez-Starck Prize 2015

Prof. Dr. Lucy M. Ziurys, University of Arizona, Tucson, was awarded for microwave spectroscopic studies of transition metal compounds and laboratory investigations connecting astrophysics, astrochemistry, and astrobiology.

2014 Mez-Starck Prize 2014

Prof. Dr. Yunjie Xu, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, was awarded for investigations of molecular conformer structures by microwave and high-resolution infrared spectroscopy.

2012 Mez-Starck Prize 2012

Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Jäger, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, was awarded for work on doped hydrogen clusters and small molecules in superfluid helium nanodroplets.

2011 Mez-Starck Prize 2011

Prof. Lev V. Vilkov and Prof. Georgiy V. Girichev were recognized for pioneering gas-phase electron diffraction and structure determinations of inorganic and organometallic compounds.

2010 Mez-Starck Prize 2010

Prof. Dr. James E. Boggs and Prof. Dr. Harald Møllendal were recognized for major contributions to molecular structure determination and microwave spectroscopy.

2009 Mez-Starck Prize 2009

Dr. Jens-Uwe Grabow, Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-University of Hannover, was awarded for improvements to Fourier transform microwave spectrometers.

2008 Mez-Starck Prize 2008

Dr. Jean Demaison, Universite de Sciences et de Technologies de Lille Flandres Artois, France, was awarded for accurate equilibrium structure determination.

2007 Mez-Starck Prize 2007

Prof. Dr. David W. H. Rankin, University of Edinburgh, was awarded for studies of unusual compounds including polyhedral boranes, carbaboranes, and organometallic compounds.

2006 Mez-Starck Prize 2006

Prof. Dr. Kozo Kuchitsu, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, was awarded for contributions to gas electron diffraction and high-resolution molecular spectroscopy.

2005 Mez-Starck Prize 2005

Prof. Dr. Kenneth Hedberg and Prof. Dr. Heinz-Dieter Rudolph were recognized for major contributions to gas-phase electron diffraction and high-resolution molecular spectroscopy.

2004

Prof. Dr. Lawrence S. Bartell, University of Michigan, was awarded for outstanding contributions to gas-phase electron diffraction theory.

2003

Prof. Dr. Victor P. Spiridonov, Moscow State University, was awarded for innovative work in molecular structure determination from electron diffraction.