Davidson to receive National Medal of Science

IU chemist ‘changed our understanding of the structure of matter’

By David Bricker

Davidson combined theory and computers to better understand the way atoms and subatomic particles move, fundamentally improving scientists’ abilities to predict the outcome of chemical reactions.

Davidson is an IU Distinguished Professor and the Robert and Marjorie Mann Chair in computational quantum chemistry on the IU Bloomington campus and chairs the Department of Chemistry.

Davidson will become the first IU professor to receive what is one of the nation’s highest honors for scientific achievement.

Early in his career, Davidson combined theory and computers to better understand the way atoms and subatomic particles move. In pioneering the field of computational quantum chemistry, he fundamentally improved scientists’ abilities to predict the outcome of chemical reactions. As a result, his work has indelibly touched a wide range of research areas, from materials engineering to the development of pharmaceuticals.

Harvard University chemist William Klemperer told the selection committee for the medal that “Davidson changed our understanding of the structure of matter.” Chemist Robert Parr of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill said of Davidson: “His calculations set standards for decades.”

The annual presentation of the President’s National Medals of Science began in 1962. The award is administered by the National Science Foundation with the support of Congress. Including this year’s honorees, a total of 401 medals have been awarded to exceptional American scientists and engineers.