Gábor A. Somorjai

Gabor A. Somorjai
Gabor A. Somorjai
Born	May 4, 1935 (age 91); Budapest, Hungary
Died	July 7, 2025 (aged 90)
Occupation(s)	Chemistry professor, surface chemist
Known for	Contributions to surface chemistry and catalysis, heterogeneous catalysis

Gabor A. Somorjai (May 4, 1935 – July 7, 2025) was a chemistry professor of Hungarian origin who established his career in the United States at the University of California, Berkeley. He gained international recognition for his groundbreaking contributions to surface chemistry and catalysis, with a special emphasis on how metal surfaces influence gas-phase reactions, known as "heterogeneous catalysis." His distinguished achievements were honored with numerous prestigious awards, including the Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1998), the Linus Pauling Award (2000), the National Medal of Science (2002), the Priestley Medal (2008), the 2010 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Science, the NAS Award in Chemical Sciences (2013), and the American Chemical Society's William H. Nichols Medal (2015).

Early life

Somorjai was born in Budapest into a Jewish family and survived the Holocaust after his mother secured Swedish passports through the efforts of Raoul Wallenberg in 1944. While his father endured Nazi concentration camps, numerous family members perished during this period. During the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, he was studying chemical engineering at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, but fled to the United States following the Soviet military intervention. He completed his doctoral studies at Berkeley in 1960. After a short period working at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center in New York, he returned to Berkeley in 1964 as an assistant professor.

Chemical research

The emergence of methods such as low-energy electron diffraction during the mid-20th century revolutionized surface science, initially targeting silicon for its electrical applications. Contrarily, Somorjai directed his focus toward surfaces with chemical significance, particularly platinum.

He discovered that catalytic activity predominantly occurs at surface imperfections where bond cleavage facilitates complex organic transformations—such as converting naphtha into gasoline. This breakthrough enhanced comprehension of processes like adhesion, lubrication, friction, and adsorption, which subsequently impacted developments in nanotechnology.

In collaboration with physicist Y. R. Shen during the 1990s, Somorjai helped pioneer Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy, a technique that allows investigation of surface reactions without requiring vacuum conditions. Additionally, he employed atomic force microscopy and scanning tunnelling microscopy to examine nanotechnology-related surface phenomena at atomic and molecular scales outside vacuum environments.

Somorjai also translated his expertise into practical applications by consulting for the 2002 Winter Olympics, where he contributed to optimizing ice-skating surfaces. His research demonstrated that skaters glide over a layer of rapidly vibrating molecules rather than a lubricating film of liquid water, challenging longstanding beliefs about what causes ice to be slippery.

Throughout his extensive career, Somorjai authored over one thousand scientific articles and three textbooks focusing on surface chemistry and heterogeneous catalysis, securing his status as one of the most frequently cited researchers in these disciplines.

Death

Somorjai passed away on July 7, 2025, at the age of 90.

Honors and awards

Somorjai gained election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1979 and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1983. In 1998, he was honored with the Wolf Foundation Prize in Chemistry, an award he shared with Professor Gerhard Ertl from the Fritz-Haber Institute in Berlin. His notable achievements in chemistry earned him the National Medal of Science in 2002. The American Chemical Society recognized his work by bestowing both the Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry and the Adamson Award in Surface Chemistry. That same year, he was appointed as a University Professor within the University of California system.

In 2004, Somorjai received the F.A. Cotton Medal for Excellence in Chemical Research from the American Chemical Society. Four years later, in 2008, he was awarded the prestigious Priestley Medal, the highest accolade given by the ACS, acknowledging his groundbreaking contributions to surface science and catalysis. He was named a Miller Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Miller Institute in 2009, coinciding with his receipt of the Reed M. Izatt and James J. Christensen Lectureship.

The year 2010 saw Somorjai honored with several distinguished prizes: the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Basic Science, the ENI New Frontiers of Hydrocarbons Prize, and the Honda Prize. Despite his profound impact on surface chemistry, the 2007 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded exclusively to Gerhard Ertl, a decision that took many experts by surprise.

Somorjai earned the National Academy of Sciences’ NAS Award in Chemical Sciences in 2013. The American Chemical Society later awarded him its William H. Nichols Medal in 2015. Most recently, he received the Enrico Fermi Award in 2023, sharing this honor with Darleane C. Hoffman.

The Somorjai Award

The Gabor A. Somorjai Award for Creative Research in Catalysis is an annual recognition accompanied by a $5,000 prize and a certificate, celebrating exceptional achievements in catalysis. This award is supported through funding from the Gabor A. and Judith K. Somorjai Endowment Fund.

Distinguished awardees include:

1999 – Sir John Meurig Thomas
2000 – Gabor A. Somorjai
2001 – Alexis T. Bell
2002 – Jack H. Lunsford
2003 – Robert H. Grubbs
2004 – Bruce C. Gates
2005 – D. Wayne Goodman
2006 – James A. Dumesic
2007 – Hans-Joachim Freund
2008 – Avelino Corma Canos
2009 – Jens K. Nørskov
2010 – Robert J. Madix
2011 – Harold H. Kung
2012 – Enrique Iglesia
2013 – Tobin J. Marks
2014 – Mark E. Davis
2015 – Maurice Brookhart
2016 – Donna G. Blackmond
2017 – John E. Bercaw
2018 – David W. C. MacMillan
2019 – Manos Mavrikakis
2020 – David Milstein
2021 – Paul J. Chirik
2022 – Jin-Quan Yu
2023 – Suljo Linic
2024 – Charles T. Campbell
2025 – Gregory C. Fu

The Gabor A. and Judith K. Somorjai Visiting Miller Professorship Award

Created in 2011, this award facilitates visits by chemical science researchers to spend one month at UC Berkeley’s Miller Institute for Basic Research in Science as visiting professors. The inaugural recipient was Angelos Michaelides in 2013.

Awardees include:

2013 – Fall: Angelos Michaelides
2015 – Fall: Christophe Coperet
2016 – Spring: Sarah Keller
2017 – Spring: Chuan He
2017 – Fall: Edward Sargent
2017 – Fall: Shana Kelley
2018 – Fall: Bernd Abel
2019 – Fall: Jennifer Schomaker
2021 – Spring: Roland Wester
2021–2022: Yi Cui
2023 – Fall: Alec Wodtke
2024 – Fall: Marina Filip
2026 – Spring: Liviu Mirica

General references