Bengt Nordén
Encyclopedia
Biography and academic career
Bengt Nordén graduated 1967 with a Master of Science degree in chemistry, theoretical physics and mathematics from Lund UniversityLund University
Lund University , located in the city of Lund in the province of Scania, Sweden, is one of northern Europe's most prestigious universities and one of Scandinavia's largest institutions for education and research, frequently ranked among the world's top 100 universities...
and was awarded his Ph.D. in 1971 from Lund University where he became Associate Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in 1972. In 1979 he was appointed to the Chair Professorship of Physical Chemistry of Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology
Chalmers University of Technology , is a Swedish university located in Gothenburg that focuses on research and education in technology, natural science and architecture.-History:...
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Nordén’s research concerns optical Linear dichroism
Linear dichroism
Linear dichroism is a spectroscopic technique that is primarily used to study the functionality and structure of molecules. LD can be defined as the difference in absorption of light polarized parallel and perpendicular to an orientation axis...
spectroscopy of macroscopically oriented, mainly bio-macromolecular systems. He has developed novel DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
-binding ligands, such as bis-intercalating compounds and peptide nucleic acids (PNA), and demonstrated DNA-ligand reorganisations between groove-binding and intercalation binding geometries involving extreme activation energies and recognition due to kinetic (in contrast to thermodynamic) selection. His method “Site Specific Linear Dichroism by Molecular Replacement” methodology applied to DNA complexes with RecA and Rad51 recombination proteins has revealed details of the recombination mechanism and is also applied to study structure of membrane proteins in a true membrane environment.
Nordén was councilor for Science and Technology to the Swedish Government in 1991-1994. He was Chairman of the selection committee for the European Science Foundation
European Science Foundation
The European Science Foundation is an association of 78 member organisations devoted to scientific research in 30 European countries. It is an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation that facilitates cooperation and collaboration in European research and development, European...
’s Young Research Investigator Awards 2003-2006; chemistry editor of the Swedish National Encyclopedia
Nationalencyklopedin
Nationalencyklopedin is the most comprehensive contemporary Swedish language encyclopedia, initiated by a favourable loan from the Government of Sweden of 17 million Swedish kronor in 1980, which was repaid by December 1990...
, Chairman of the Chemistry Section of the Swedish Research Council
Swedish Research Council
The Swedish Research Council is a Swedish government agency established in 2001, with the responsibility to support and develop basic scientific research. Its objective is for Sweden to be a leading nation in scientific research...
1996-2000. He is currently Chair of the Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University
Nanyang Technological University is one of the two largest public universities in Singapore with the biggest campus in Singapore and the world's largest engineering college. Its lush 200-hectare Yunnan Garden campus was the Youth Olympic Village of the world's first 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in...
Research Council (Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
) and Editor in Chief of The Quarterly reviews of biophysics
Biophysics
Biophysics is an interdisciplinary science that uses the methods of physical science to study biological systems. Studies included under the branches of biophysics span all levels of biological organization, from the molecular scale to whole organisms and ecosystems...
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Nordén is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
since 1991 and was member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry
Nobel Committee for Chemistry
The Nobel Committee for Chemistry is the Nobel Committee responsible for proposing laureates for the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. The Nobel Committee for Chemistry is appointed by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences...
from 1995 to 2004, and the Committee’s chairman from 2000 to 2003 and the Academy’s Chemistry Section chairman 2004-2009. He is a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences or Kungl. Ingenjörsvetenskapsakademien , founded in 1919 by King Gustaf V, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
, The Royal Physiographic Society in Lund
Royal Physiographic Society in Lund
The Royal Physiographic Society in Lund or Kungl. Fysiografiska Sällskapet i Lund, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden. It was founded in Lund, on December 2, 1772, and received a Royal Charter by Gustav III, on March 6, 1778.- External links :*...
, The Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg (Kungliga Vetenskaps- och Vitterhetssamhället i Göteborg), The National Academy of Sciences of Germany (German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina), the Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in Finland, The Norwegian Academy of Science, The Finnish Society of Science and Letters
Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters is a Finnish learned society. It was founded in 1908 as a Finnish-language counterpart of the Swedish-language Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, which had existed since 1838.- Members :The academy has a total of 328 seats for Finnish members...
, and The Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS).
Molecular Frontiers
Nordén is founder of Molecular FrontiersMolecular Frontiers Foundation
The Molecular Frontiers Foundation was founded under the auspices of the Nobel Foundation in 2007 by Bengt Nordén, a professor of physical chemistry at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the former chair of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry...
, a global organization with objective to early identify breakthroughs in science and to stimulate young people’s interests in science. Molecular Frontiers has in its Advisory Board many very research active Nobel Laureates.