Peter H.M. Budzelaar

Professor of General and Inorganic Chemistry (CHIM/03), Federico II University of Naples

Adjunct Professor, University of Manitoba

I knew I wanted to study chemistry at age 12, had decided on organometallic chemistry three years later, and have never regretted the choice. It allowed me to spend 10 years in the chemical industry, then ten more years at the University of Nijmegen (Netherlands). I moved to Winnipeg (Canada) in 2005 to start my own group, focused on exactly how metals manage to let all kinds of weird reactions happen around them. Then in 2016 I was offered a position I could not refuse, at the University of Naples (Italy, not Florida!).

I enjoy applying a variety of techniques, from synthesis of highly air-sensitive compounds to spectroscopy and computational methods. In the end, increased insight in reaction mechanisms is going to lead to cleaner, more efficient manufacture of chemicals. Along the way there, research should be a lot of fun. I also like wine, Italian coffee, insects, insect-eating plants (see http://botany.org/Carnivorous_Plants//), and making polyhedron models.

Short CV