Sheikh Saud International Prize awarded to Prof. Michael Klein at IWAM 2024 in Ras Al Khaimah

Press release

Published February 21st, 2024 - 09:25 GMT

Sheikh Saud International Prize awarded to Prof. Michael Klein at IWAM 2024 in Ras Al Khaimah

During the event

His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, UAE Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, has awarded the 2024 Sheikh Saud International Prize for Materials Science to Professor Michael L. Klein, the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Science at Temple University, USA, for his outstanding contribution to the field of Advanced Materials Science.

The Sheikh Saud International Prize for Materials Science is a prestigious award created in 2018 by the Ras Al Khaimah Centre for Advanced Materials (RAKCAM) in recognition of HH Sheikh Saud’s dedication to advancing the field of Materials Science in the UAE and around the region. Science and education are important aspects of HH Sheikh Saud’s vision for a future that utilizes the latest innovations and scientific advances for the benefit of humanity and the planet. The Prize consists of a gold medal, commemorative plaque and a $100,000 award.

The Award was presented during the second day of the 15th International Workshop on Advanced Materials, IWAM 2024, after which Prof. Klein delivered a talk on polymers to the assembled audience. It is the third Sheikh Saud International Prize to be awarded during recent IWAM events, following similar awards in 2019 to Professor C.N.R. Rao, Honorary President and Linus Pauling Research Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) in Bangalore, India, and in 2022 to Sir Anthony Cheetham, Research Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Distinguished Visiting Professor at the National University of Singapore.

Sir Anthony Cheetham, Chairman of RAKCAM, which was founded by HH Sheikh Saud in 2007, said: “Professor Michael L. Klein is one of the world’s most distinguished computational materials scientists. His first publication in the field of condensed matter science was in The Physical Review in 1962.

“Michael’s research interests involve probing the structure and dynamics of macromolecular systems using molecular simulation techniques; current research interests range from chemical physics to soft matter, and from biophysics to drug discovery and physiology. His achievements have been recognized by his election to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, London, in 2003 and Membership of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2009.

“We congratulate Michael on his latest award and express our heartfelt gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Saud for his inspiration and kindness.”

IWAM is sponsored by Ras Al Khaimah’s Stevin Rock, one of the largest quarrying companies in the world, with a production capacity of more than 80 million tons per year.

Background Information

Ras Al Khaimah

The Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah is a scenic, well-endowed Emirate in the UAE, with beaches, farms, framed at the backdrop by the North Western range of the famous Hajar mountains. With a population of just under half a million, the emirate has an area of 2,486 square kilometres and a coastline of 64 kilometres. The emirate is served by Ras Al Khaimah International Airport.

The Emirate has the most fertile soil in the country, and a higher rainfall, backed by underground streams from the Hajar Mountains. Large farms surround the airport region of the emirate, which provide fresh vegetables and husbandry to the region.

The World Tourism Forum Lucerne recently entered into a strategic partnership with the Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), thus not only recognising Ras Al Khaimah as one of the fastest-growing tourist destination in the Middle East but also, the visionary emirates enthusiastic engagement in numerous initiatives designed to make it a regional market leader in sustainable tourism by 2025.