Véronique Gouverneur facts for kids

Véronique Gouverneur is a brilliant scientist from Belgium. She was born on November 8, 1964. She is a top professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. She works at Magdalen College.

Before this important role, she was a special teacher at Merton College, Oxford. Professor Gouverneur is famous for her work with fluorine chemistry. This is a special type of chemistry. Her research has won many important awards. In 2025, she was chosen to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences. This is a very high honor for scientists.

Becoming a Chemist

Véronique Gouverneur studied chemistry for many years. She earned her first degree in chemistry. Then, in 1991, she received her PhD. A PhD is the highest university degree. She got both degrees from the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium.

In 1992, she moved to the United States. She worked at the Scripps Research Institute. Two years later, in 1994, she came back to Europe. She started working at Louis Pasteur University in France. There, she was a "Maître de Conférence," which is like a senior lecturer. She also worked with a group called the Institut de Science et d'Ingénierie Supramoléculaires.

Her Work and Discoveries

In 1998, Professor Gouverneur joined the chemistry department at Oxford. She became a "reader" in 2006. This is a senior academic position. In 2008, she became a full professor.

She chose to focus on fluorine chemistry. This area is very important. Fluorine compounds are used in many ways. For example, they are in many pharmaceutical drugs. They are also used in special medical scans. These scans are called positron emission tomography (PET) scans. They help doctors see inside the body.

Professor Gouverneur has also been a visiting professor. She taught at the University of Paris X. She also visited the Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry. In 2022, she received a very old and important title. She became the Waynflete Professor of Chemistry. This position has been around since 1865.

Awards and Special Honors

Professor Gouverneur has received many awards for her amazing work. In 2005, she won the AstraZeneca Research Award. This was for her work in organic chemistry. In 2008, she won the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Bader Award. This award recognized her important work in making new fluorine compounds.

In 2010, she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry. She also received the IUPAC Distinguished Woman in Chemistry Award. IUPAC stands for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. In 2011, she won the Liebig Lectureship Award. This was from the German Chemical Society.

In 2013, the UK's Royal Society gave her a special award. It was the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. In 2015, she received an award from the American Chemical Society. This was for her creative work in fluorine chemistry. It recognized her new ways of adding fluorine to molecules. This helps make better medicines and PET scan tools.

In 2016, she received the RSC Tilden Prize. This award was for her work that combines different science areas. It showed how her discoveries help medicine. In 2017, she became a member of the European Academy of Sciences.

In 2019, she received two more awards. These were the RSC Organic Stereochemistry Award and the Prelog Medal. She was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2019. In 2021, she won the Henri Moissan International Prize. This was also for her work in fluorine chemistry.

In 2022, she received the Arthur C. Cope Award. This award is given by the American Chemical Society. She was also elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In the same year, she won the European Chemical Society's award. This was for Female Organic Chemist of the Year.

In 2024, Professor Gouverneur received the Royal Society The Davy Medal. This medal was for her important work in fluorine chemistry. Her work helps create new medicines. It also improves imaging for PET scans.

See also

In Spanish: Véronique Gouverneur para niños