2009 Dirac Medal

 

On the occasion of the birthday of P.A.M. Dirac

we take pleasure in announcing that

the 2009 Dirac Medal and Prize

will be awarded to

 

Professor Roberto Car

Department of Chemistry, Princeton University

 

Professor Michele Parrinello

Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences

Università della Svizzera italiana

 

The 2009 Dirac Medal recognizes the joint contributions of Roberto

Car and Michele Parrinello in developing the ab initio simulation

method in which they combined, elegantly and imaginatively, the

quantum mechanical density functional method for the calculation of

the electronic properties of matter with molecular dynamics methods

for the Newtonian simulation of atomic motions. The Car-Parrinello

method has had an enormous impact, joining together the fields of

simulation and of electronic structure theory, and has given rise to a

variety of applications well beyond condensed matter physics.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                             8 August 2009