First prize in DSM Awards for Chemistry and Technology 2005 presented to Belgian researcher for research in biocatalysis
Belgian researcher Davey Loos won the first prize in the DSM Awards for Chemistry and Technology 2005. An international jury selected Dr Davey Loos, who earned his doctorate from the Catholic University of Leuven, for his research in the field of biocatalysis. Dr Loos has succeeded in developing a technique for studying single enzyme molecules as opposed to ensembles of billions of molecules - something that biochemists have long wanted to be able to do but which has been impossible because of the nanoscale involved. Dr Loos' work opens the way to new research into fundamental questions about how enzymes function, which will enable smarter use of enzymes in a variety of applications, for example in detergents. Davey Loos was presented with a certificate by Mr Jan Zuidam, deputy chairman of DSM's Managing Board. As the winner of the first prize he will also receive a cash prize of EUR 7,500. The winner of the second prize, Jessica Kroeze, will receive a cash prize of EUR 5,000, and the winner of the third prize, Dirk Aarts, will receive a cash prize of EUR 2,500. The other six prize-winners will all receive prizes of EUR 1,250.
The prestigious annual DSM Awards for Chemistry and Technology were presented for the twentieth time this year. The contest is rapidly becoming a major event on the international calendar. Until 2001, the contest was open only to doctoral students from research institutes in the Netherlands and Flemish-speaking Belgium. The catchment area was extended to Belgium's French-speaking region in 2002, and since 2003, the contest has also been open to researchers from the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
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