Giulia Galli has received the Joseph O. Hirschfelder Prize in Theoretical Chemistry

Giulia Galli, Liew Family Professor at the University of Chicago and member of the NCCR MARVEL Scientific Advisory Board, has been awarded the 2024-2025 Joseph O. Hirschfelder Prize in Theoretical Chemistry.

The Prize is awarded every year since 1991 by the Theoretical Chemistry Institute of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It commemorates the work of Joseph O. Hischfelder, who worked for over 40 years in Mardison and was a pioneer of theoretical chemistry and is awarded to scientists who have made exceptional contributions to the field. Four Nobel Prize recipients are among the Hirschfelder Prize honorees.

“Giulia has made significant contributions to theoretical chemistry by developing advanced theoretical and computational methods for materials and molecules from first principles”, said TCI Director Xuhui Huang in presenting the award. “Her methods have been widely applied to predict and design the structural, electronic, and optical properties of materials.”

Following the announcement of the award, Galli has given a talk on 1 October at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with the title “Behind the scenes: stories of atoms forming next generation materials”.

Giulia Galli is an expert in the development of theoretical and computational methods to predict and engineer material and molecular properties from first principles. Her research focuses on problems relevant to the development of sustainable energy sources and quantum technologies. She holds a Ph.D. in Physics from the International School of Advanced Studies in Trieste, Italy. Before joining UChicago, she was Professor of Chemistry and Physics at UC Davis (2005-2013) and the head of the Quantum Simulations group at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL, 1998-2005). In addition to her position at UChicago, she holds a Senior Scientist position at Argonne National Laboratory, where she is a group leader and the director of the Midwest Integrated Center for Computational Materials. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Science, and the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, as well as a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.