Dr. Henrik Topsoe, Haldor Topsoe A/S, Denmark, has been awarded the 2005 Eugene J. Houdry Award in Applied Catalysis. The award is given to a person who is recognized for his contributions in the field of catalysis with emphasis on the development of new and improved catalysts and processes. The award is sponsored by Süd-Chemie, Inc., and is administered by the North American Catalysis Society (NACS). It is awarded biennially and will be given to Henrik at the Spring 2005 North American Catalysis Society meeting in Philadelphia, where he will also be giving a plenary lecture.

Award motivation from NACS: “Henrik's work and leadership have made a significant contribution to the understanding of hydrotreating catalysts. Henrik has been an essential contributor to many commercial applications on hydrodesulfurization and other catalysts and one of the principal forces behind the position that Haldor Topsoe A/S holds in commercial deployments in catalysts and processes. “Henrik Topsoe’s work provided the concepts and definitive evidence for the CoMoS description of the synergy between MoS2 structures and Co and Ni promoters.” “His passionate efforts to bring state-of-the-art tools and concepts into the solution of complex industrial problems are without equal in the international catalysis community today.” With all this Henrik has been a prolific industrial contributor to the scientific literature. Also, “he has been a key intellectual and physical motivational force behind the emergence of the academic Danish catalysis community.””

For information on the award and award processes, visit the NACS website on www.nacatsoc.org.