ICTP Prize Winner 1988

The ICTP Prize in honour of Werner Heisenberg (Germany), Nobel Laureate 1932, in the fields of Nuclear Physics, Plasma Physics and other fields of Physics was awarded to José Nelson Onuchic, University of São Paulo, Brazil, for his theory of electron transfer reactions with applications to biology and chemical systems. For calculating the rates of these reactions, he has developed new theoretical models and techniques which permit a better understanding of fundamental questions in the dynamics of reactions in condensed matter such as adiabaticity criteria, quantum friction and quantum resonances. These models were very useful to address the question of mode-specificity in biophysical reactions and to show the importance of quantum effects in the primary events of bacteria photosynthesis.

More recently, using some ideas from photosynthesis, Onuchic and his colleagues have proposed a device in molecular electronics, "Shift Register Memory" which integrates designed electronic onto a silicon microelectronic substrate.