Former Applied Physics student Ad Bax receives prestigious chemistry award

News - 23 October 2018 - Communication TNW

During the 2018 Welch Conference on Chemical Research, on 22 October 2018, Adriaan (Ad) Bax was presented with the prestigious Welch Award in Chemistry. Bax, who works at one of the American National Institutes of Health, is a former student and PhD candidate of Delft University of Technology. He studied Applied Physics.        

Ad Bax is NIH Distinguished Investigator and section chief at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland in the United States. Dr. Bax has ensured that nowadays nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (also called NMR spectroscopy) is a powerful and widely used instrument for studying the structure, function and dynamics of biological macromolecules.

In NMR spectroscopy, the atomic nuclei in molecules are brought a little out of balance by means of radio waves. When they return to their equilibrium state, the nuclei in turn emit radio waves. On the basis of these weak signals, the positions of atoms can be accurately determined, and a spatial reconstruction of the molecule in question can be made.

Credit: Jennifer Ramyruk

Outstanding student
"Dr. Bax introduced many of the NMR advances that are now used in thousands of chemistry and biology laboratories on a daily basis", said Carin Barth, Chairman and Director of the Welch Foundation Board of Directors. "His ideas have drastically changed NMR, structural biology and molecular biophysics. Peter B. Dervan, Chair of The Welch Foundation Scientific Advisory Board, adds: “Ad Bax made it possible to move the field from static structures to movies of biomolecules in functional action."

Ad Bax studied Applied Physics at Delft University of Technology. He got his bachelor's degree, as well as his master's degree and his PhD, under the supervision of then associate professor Toon Mehlkopf, who remembers Bax fondly. "Ad Bax is the best student I have ever had," says Mehlkopf. "He had a quick mind and worked very hard. He already made a name for himself with his publications during his time as a student and PhD candidate. And Bax did not only excel at academics. Mehlkopf: "He was also very sporty and participated in cycling races. Everyone liked him."

About the Welch Award in Chemistry
The Welch Award in Chemistry is presented annually by the Robert A. Welch Foundation to encourage and recognize fundamental chemical research for the benefit of humanity, as outlined in the will of Robert Alonzo Welch. The founder was interested in chemistry and in its contributions to both the improvement and understanding of human life. The monetary amount of the award is $500,000.

2018 Welch Award - Dr. Adriaan Bax