George Christou Credit:
Courtesy of George Christou
The Georgia Section of the American Chemical Society has named George Christou as the recipient of the 2026 Herty Medal. Christou, University Distinguished Professor and holder of the Drago Chair at the University of Florida, is recognized for his outstanding research and service as a chemist in the Southeast. His research is focused on synthetic and physical-inorganic chemistry of transition metals and finding applications in molecular magnetism, molecular nanoparticles, supramolecular chemistry, and bioinorganic chemistry. Christou is best known as a pioneer of single-molecule magnetism, having discovered numerous examples of various sizes and compositions. He also pioneered the supramolecular aggregation of single-molecule magnets, which led to the discovery of quantum superposition and entanglement of molecular magnets and the exchange-biased quantum tunneling of magnetization, which is important in modern technologies.
Christou has served on several advisory boards and committees and has founded numerous conferences and symposia, including the annual Florida Inorganic and Materials Symposium, which brings together students from 16 universities in the state. Many of his PhD students have gone on to pursue academic careers. Christou will be presented the gold Herty Medal at the 92nd Charles H. Herty Award Celebration, to be held in October.
