Bert Maes Became Doctor Honoris Causa

16:16, December 26, 2017

UrFU Rector Victor Koksharov and scientists thanked colleague for strengthening scientific contacts between Belgium and Russia

Ural Federal University is developing cooperation with the University of Antwerp (Belgium).

"Professor Bert Maes has been cooperating with the Institute of Organic Synthesis of the Ural Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences and our university for many years, training post-graduate students his laboratory, he participated in the 20th Mendeleev Congress and other conferences in Russia," said Mikhail Varaksin, deputy director of the UrFU Institute Chemical Engineering. “It is planned to continue internships, academic exchange, work on scientific articles and establish a double degree program for postgraduate study. The nearest internship is already scheduled for the end of January 2018". 

One of the most important events of scientific cooperation between Belgium and Russia was the conferment of the title Doctor Honoris Causa of UrFU to Bert Maes. The official ceremony took place in the university on December 15.

The University scientists thanked the Belgian colleague for the achievements in the field of organic synthesis and catalysis, for contributing to the development and strengthening of scientific ties between academic institutions and universities in Belgium and Russia.

Professor Maes also read a lecture "Organic Synthesis Using Low-Reactive Functional Groups".

He spoke about the sphere of his interests, in particular, about the chemistry of heterocyclic compounds and homogeneous catalysis. The main scientific interests of Professor Maes lie in the field of direct functionalization of the C-H bond catalyzed by transition metals, the study of reaction mechanisms, cross-combinations catalyzed by metals, and the reactivity of a variety of organic compounds.