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EFMC Honorary Fellows

2026 EFMC Honorary Fellows: Call for nominations

The EFMC is pleased to announce the 2026 call for nominations for the title of "Honorary Fellows".

This life-long title and associated medal aim to recognize the individuals who have provided outstanding support to the EFMC and contributed in strengthening the position of medicinal chemistry, chemical biology or related fields in Europe.

Nominations can be submitted until March 31, 2026, and should include:

  • Brief curriculum of the nominee.
  • Statement of the documented facts supporting the nomination, summarizing scientific achievements and support of EFMC activities.
    (maximum two pages)
  • Two seconding nomination letters.

Self-nominations are not accepted. There are no age restrictions, and nominees may have an academic or industrial background. Nominees should be European residents or have spent a considerable proportion of their career in Europe.

The award ceremony will take place during the opening ceremony of the EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC Medicinal Chemistry 2026), scheduled to take place in Basel, Switzerland on September 6-10, 2026. Appointed Honorary Fellows will be invited to attend the meeting and receive their recognition on stage.

Awardees will be announced in the course of Spring 2026.

Nominate a Fellow

2024 EFMC Honorary Fellows

The EFMC is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 call for nominations for the title of Honorary Fellows.

EFMC Honorary Fellow is a life-long title aiming to recognize the individuals who have provided outstanding support to the EFMC and contributed in strengthening the position of medicinal chemistry, chemical biology or related fields in Europe.

Congratulations and thanks to:

  • Dr Yves P. Auberson for his more than active role within the various leading boards of the EFMC, for his bold vision of the future of EFMC and the efforts he spends creating it, as well as for his extraordinary support to the young community. As President of the EFMC, Dr Auberson succeeded at sketching a new vision of the Federation: Embracing Chemical Biology, world widely acclaimed as a key player in the fields, supportive to his young and early career researchers and constantly aiming at reaching new goals. So many activities are to be credited to his daring mind, the most important being the successful integration of Chemical Biology within our scope, the fostering of working groups such as the Best Practices or the Young Scientists Network and the renewal of the EFMC Portfolio in the difficult period of the COVID-19 crisis. Dr Auberson also devoted that same energy within the activities of the Division for Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology (DMCCB) of the Swiss Chemical Society (SCS) and in fostering new international collaboration with EFMC partners around the globe. Dr Auberson played a direct role in the discovery and development of several drug candidates for epilepsy and narcolepsy, as well as of clinical tracers for positron emission tomography. Some of these projects are currently in phase II and III clinical development. Yves Auberson is known for his leadership in medicinal chemistry and his contributions to drug discovery and development

  • Prof. Anders Karlén joined the executive committee of the EFMC as Secretary in 2017 and remained in his position until 2022. During the 6 years of his mandate, he acted as trusted guide to the president. Prof. Karlén also dedicated his efforts to represent the EFMC interests at the EU-level, working at the arduous task of influencing EU Policies together with our trusted partners. In this mission that very view within our Federation knew how to handle, he proved confident and hard-working. Prof. Karlén also significantly contributed to the visibility of the Swedish Pharmaceutical Society. His research group studies targets of importance in infectious diseases with a focus on tuberculosis and Gram-negative infections. From 2014 to 2021, Prof. Karlén has led the Managing Entity as well as been co-coordinator of the project from the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) entitled European Gram-negative Antibacterial Engine (ENABLE). Since 2019, Prof. Karlén has also coordinated the project within IMI’s Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Accelerator Programme entitled Collaboration for Prevention and Treatment of MDR Bacterial Infections (COMBINE).

  • Prof. Katarzyna Kiec-Kononowicz for her long-lasting role within the Council of the EFMC, her dedication to carry the voice of the Polish medicinal chemists and chemical biologists and her efforts to integrate the community within our European community. Dr Kiec-Kononowicz has been a loyal member of the Council for 17 years and played a pivotal role in the integration of the Polish Society of Medicinal Chemistry within the EFMC. Dr Kiec-Kononowicz has also significantly contributed to the visibility of the Polish Society of Medicinal Chemistry on the European and international and is considered with high-esteem by many of her peers.Prof. Katarzyna Kie''.chr('263').''-Kononowicz, a professor in the Department of Technology and Biotechnology of Drugs at the Faculty of Pharmacy Medical College, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, was recognized as one of the world's most influential scientists in 2020-2022 by experts from Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University. Her research focuses on medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical biotechnology, particularly the design, synthesis, and evaluation of GPCR ligands, including adenosine, histamine, and orphan receptors such as GPR18 and GPR55.

  • Dr Antoni Torrens has been a regular member of the EFMC from 2017 to 2018, before becoming the treasurer from 2019 to 2023. In this role, he worked in developing and restructuring the EFMC finances to allow more funding towards activities most regarded by our scientific communities, such as grants, prizes, sponsorship of schools, etc. Dr Torrens has been a strong supporter of the young community, both in Spain and within the EFMC. He has been an active participant teacher in Master and Doctorate Courses of several universities in Spain and Portugal, including the Horizon Europe’s Marie Sk''.chr('322').''odowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) funded BREAKthrough Doctoral Network, and in several European Medicinal Chemistry Schools as well, just like the EFMC European School of Medicinal Chemistry (ESMEC). Dr Torrens has significantly contributed to the Spanish Society of Medicinal Chemistry (Sociedad Española de Química Terapéutica) and continues to play a major role in the activities of the national association.

    Dr Torrens is currently Senior Vice President of Medicinal Chemistry at ABAC Therapeutics. He has led groundbreaking drug discovery projects and forged extensive global collaborations. With a distinguished career at ESTEVE Pharmaceuticals and numerous clinical milestones, his contributions include key compounds like CTC (SeglentisTM) and Enflicoxib.

The award ceremony will take place during the opening of the XXVIII EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC 2024), scheduled to take place in Rome, Italy on September 1-5, 2024. Appointed Honorary Fellows will be invited to attend the meeting and receive their recognition on stage.

The EFMC Recognition Programme will continue awarding outstanding contributors to EFMC and sciences in the future. More information will be available here: www.efmc.info/honorary-fellows.

2022 EFMC Honorary Fellows

The EFMC is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 call for nominations for the title of Honorary Fellows.

EFMC Honorary Fellow is a life-long title aiming to recognize the individuals who have provided outstanding support to the EFMC and contributed in strengthening the position of medicinal chemistry, chemical biology or related fields in Europe.

Congratulations and thanks to:

  • Dr Dave Alker for his active role within the various leading boards of the EFMC, and his extraordinary commitment to the support of the EFMC Young Medicinal Chemists’ Symposium (EFMC-YMCS). Dr Alker has been an active member of the Executive Committee, Council, and Industry Liaison committee - increasing the visibility of EFMC activities within companies which employ medicinal chemists as well as those related industries for whom medicinal chemistry is an enabling science or for whom medicinal chemists represent a significant customer base. Dr Dave Alker has significantly contributed to the Biological and Medicinal Chemistry Sector (BMCS) of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and helped disseminating the news and activities of the EFMC to the United Kingdom communities of Medicinal Chemists and Chemical Biologists and can be regarded as a strong link between his national adhering organisation and the EFMC.
  • Prof. Gabriele Costantino has been a member of the Executive Committee of the EFMC from 2011 until 2014, before joining the Council of the EFMC from 2017 until 2019, and from 2021 until the present days. He strongly collaborated in the creation of the EFMC newsletter “MedChem(Bio)Watch” and acted as editor-in-chief for almost a decade. With its high-quality content composed of editorials, perspective articles and reports of EFMC events and activities, the newsletter greatly helped disseminating the EFMC brand to the scientific community – and contributed to strengthening the position of medicinal chemistry, chemical biology, and related fields in Europe. In addition, Prof. Costantino has significantly contributed to the Division of Medicinal Chemistry of the Italian Chemical Society and worked as powerful ambassador between the Italian community and the EFMC.
  • Dr Kristina Goncharenko for her active participation in the creation of the EFMC Young Scientists Network. She was one of the driving forces behind the creation of its embryo form in 2019 and helped continuously growing it in her quality of chair. Her vision and sense of leadership contributed to the success of the network. Dr Goncharenko also supported the EFMC within the communication team, helping to resent our Federation to the new generation via an improved presence on social media and various branding activities such as the interviews and photo competitions. In addition, Kristina Goncharenko has contributed to the Division for Medicinal Chemistry & Chemical Biology of the Swiss Chemical Society and worked at spreading the visibility of our Federation within the Swiss community.
  • Dr Peter Mohr has made substantial contributions in a wide range of medicinal chemistry areas, building on an outstanding level of scientific achievement in his career, in particular in the design of chemical probes for the unravelling of biological processes as well as in the development of several first-in-class candidates. Dr Mohr has expanded the knowledge and expertise in several important disease areas such as oncology, dermatology, psoriasis, and Type II diabetes. Besides his scientific achievements, Dr Peter Mohr has contributed significantly to the Swiss Chemical Society and contributed to the EFMC in quality of Council Member for more than 8 years as well as active members of various EFMC initiatives and working groups until today.

The award ceremony will take place during the opening of the XXVII EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC 2022), scheduled to take place in Nice, France on September 4-8, 2022. Appointed Honorary Fellows will be invited to attend the meeting and receive their recognition on stage.

The EFMC Recognition Programme will continue awarding outstanding contributors to EFMC and sciences in the future. More information will be available here: www.efmc.info/honorary-fellows.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the official ceremonies for both the 2020 and 2021 edition of the EFMC Honorary Fellows took place during the XXVI EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC 2021), held on August 29-September 2, 2021 in an hybrid format: virtually and from the Novartis Campus in Basel, Switzerland. 

The ceremony was hosted by Dr Yves P. Auberson (Past EFMC President) and Prof. Rui Moreira (EFMC President). 

The EFMC Honorary Fellows ceremony was an important moment to take time to recognise the people who have forged EFMC, who have developed it, who have kept our community moving regarding how we are organised, how we communicate, how medicinal chemistry and chemical biology are encouraged and come together.

These awardees have dedicated many years of efforts to support our community at large, and this recognition is only a small token of the way we perceive and appreciate their contribution. We would like to name the following EFMC members as Honorary Fellows:

  • Prof. Henk Timmerman (VU University, The Netherlands)
  • Prof. Ferran Sanz (University Pompeu Fabra, Spain) 
  • Prof. Roberto Pellicciari (TES Pharma, Italy) 
  • Prof. Gerhard Ecker (University of Vienna, Austria) 
  • Prof. Uli Stilz (Novo Nordisk, United States) 
  • Prof. Koen Augustyns (University of Antwerp, Belgium)
  • Prof. Chris De Graaf (Sosei Heptares, United Kingdom)
  • Prof. Bernd Clement (University of Kiel, Germany) 
  • Mrs Ly Differding (LD Organisation, Belgium) and Dr Edmond Differing (Differding Consulting, Belgium)
  • Prof. Wijbe Nauta (d. 1986), whose medal was received by Prof. Henk Timmerman on behalf of Dr Andele Nauta
  • Dr Emilio Kyburz (d. 2005), whose medal was received by Dr Georg Jaeschke on behalf of the Swiss Chemical Society 

The EFMC is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 call for nominations for the title of Honorary Fellows.

EFMC Honorary Fellow is a life-long title aiming to recognize the individuals who have provided outstanding support to the EFMC and contributed in strengthening the position of medicinal chemistry, chemical biology or related fields in Europe.

Congratulations and thanks to:

  • Prof. Bernd Clement is worldwide recognized for his seminal and innovative contributions to medicinal chemistry, namely in fields of drug metabolism and prodrug chemistry. In addition to the impact on drug discovery and drug development, the committee also considered particularly relevant his contributions in strengthening the position of medicinal chemistry at European level. Prof. Clement has been always one of the most active members of EFMC, being a Council member since 2007 representing the Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry group of the German Pharmaceutical Society. He was the co-chair of the 22nd EFMC International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry in Berlin (2012), which was a great success. Prof. Clement also played a major role in medicinal chemistry within other major international societies.  

  • Ly and Edmond Differding were proposed for a joint nomination to the EFMC Honorary Fellowship. While this recognition is normally meant for single individuals, the committee felt that the contribution of Ly and Edmond Differding to EFMC, and to the advancement of medicinal chemistry in Europe, can hardly be separated.  Edmond Differding was EFMC secretary and vice-chair, contributing to the reorganization of the EFMC, and to the development of its new structure at a period that critically shaped the Federation. More recently, he was actively involved in the celebration of EFMC’s 50th anniversary, preparing two papers that review the scientific content of all EFMC-ISMC and the development of medicinal chemistry in Europe. Ly Differding plays a pivotal role in EFMC and in the organisation of the most important EFMC conferences. She actively participates in EFMC activities and not only guarantees operational support, but also provides constant advice and an historical perspective to the president, executive committee, and conference organizers. Her dedicated contributions to the success of EFMC and medicinal chemistry in Europe is unparalleled. Furthermore, Ly fully supported EFMC during the recent pandemic crisis, proactively looking for creative solutions and facilitating their implementation.  

In addition, the committee decided to consider for posthumous recognition: 

  • Prof. Wijbe Nauta (d. 1986) was one of the founding fathers of the EFMC. He was Secretary in the early years of EFMC, playing a key role in the internationalization of the first national organizations and promoting medicinal chemistry as an independent chemical discipline, especially characterised by its interdisciplinary nature. As member of the UPAC’s commission on medicinal chemistry, part of the Division of Organic Chemistry, Prof. Nauta promoted EFMC through his contributions to the IUPAC Medicinal Chemistry Newsletter. Importantly, he took the initiative to organize the fourth ISMC in1974. He also initiated the book series Pharmacochemistry Library (Elsevier), of which more than 35 volumes were published, being the first editor of this series. The EFMC Pharmacochemistry Award for medicinal chemistry and chemical biology carries his name. Prof. Nauta kept a large amount of documentation regarding the first years of the Federation, which are now in the archives of EFMC. 

  • Dr Emilio Kyburz (d. 2005) was very active in EFMC, as he was member of the executive committee in 1989, vice-chair in 1991-92, elected as chairman in 1995, secretary in 1997 and re-elected in this position in 1999. During this period, Dr. Kyburz put much emphasis on internationalisation of the medicinal chemistry developed in Europe, especially the expanding the interactions with the ACS. His well-curated archives, combined with those of Prof. Nauta, allowed EFMC to revisit its history for the first 30 years of existence.

The EFMC wishes to recognise the immense contribution of those who have contributed to strengthening the position of medicinal chemistry in Europe, through a major contribution to the service of the EFMC.

The first recipients have created and nurtured the mission and vision of EFMC during its first 50 years. All are former Presidents but have been contributors beyond expectations, and remain active supporters of EFMC. Congratulations and thanks to:

  • Prof. Henk Timmerman (VU University, The Netherlands)

A central figure of EFMC, who has been instrumental to the Federation from its very beginning. Prof. Timmermann has been active in supporting the EFMC for more than 50 years and is still today an advisor to EFMC, attending all meetings and events, and continuing to be the active memory of EFMC.

  • Prof. Ferran Sanz (University Pompeu Fabra, Spain) 

Who played an important role in expanding the scope of EFMC and reinforcing its imprint across Europe.

  • Prof. Roberto Pellicciari (TES Pharma, Italy) 

Who played a critical role in modernising the EFMC, and changing its structure to adapt it to current challenges.  

  • Prof. Gerhard Ecker (University of Vienna, Austria)

Who continued supporting the modernisation of EFMC, and implemented the first official EFMC journal.

  • Prof. Uli Stilz (Novo Nordisk, United States) 

Who played an important role in generating new ideas for EFMC. He was the driving force behind the first EFMC workshop, after which many of the activities that shaped the community over the last decade were initiated.

  • Prof. Koen Augustyns (University of Antwerp, Belgium)

His 11 years commitment to EFMC as Executive Committee member, Secretary and President thoroughly contributed to shape the EFMC. 

In addition, the EFMC would like to recognise: 

  • Prof. Chris De Graaf (Sosei Heptares, United Kingdom)

Who played an important role in initiating the Young Medicinal Chemist’s Symposium (EFMC-YMCS) series, which has with evolved with time and now plays a key role in bringing the young generation of scientists together.