Prof. Peter Wolynes, a world-renowned physicist, chemist and biologist, was awarded Einstein Professorship of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC) on July 12. Prof. Zhang Hongjie, associate director of CIAC, awarded him the certificate.

After the ceremony, Prof. Wolynes delivered a lecture entitled "Recent Successes of the Energy Landscape Theory of Protein Folding", which systematically introduced the process of protein folding, and elaborately presented his recent progress in the energy landscape theory of protein structure. Then Prof. Wolynes visited the State Key Laboratory of Electroanalytical Chemistry, and had a lively discussion with the scientists and graduate students of the lab.

About Prof. Wolynes

Peter Wolynes, professor of physics, chemistry and biology at University of California, San Diego, is member of American Academy of Arts & Sciences, National Academy of Sciences of the United States, and American Philosophical Society. After receiving his doctoral degree from Harvard University at age of 23 in 1976, he became an associate professor at Illinois University, and then was promoted to full professor. He proposed the energy landscape theory of protein folding, and has made great contributions in protein folding, binding kinetics, unimolecular reaction theory and calculation. Recently he also conducted studies on cellular networks and gene networks.

About the Einstein Professorship Program

The Einstein Professorship Program was launched by CAS in 2004, which aims to promote academic exchange and communication between CAS researchers and world prestigious scientists. Einstein Professorships are awarded to 20 distinguished scientists each year who devote great efforts to the development of science and technology. Prof. Wolynes was recommended by Prof. Wang Erkang of CIAC (CAS member).