Career
These salts all exhibit superconductivity at low temperatures. The first unconventional superconductor composed of organic material, was discovered by Bechgaard and Denis Jerome in 1979. This discovery garnered attention in the international scientific community, and for a period he was one of the most quoted scientists in the field of natural sciences.
He also received a nomination for the Nobel Prize in chemistry for this discovery.
Klaus Bechgaard did research at the University of Copenhagen, where he also held a Professorship in organic chemistry until 1993. From 1993 until 2000 he was the chairman of the Department of Physics and Chemistry at Risø and in 2001 he was appointed head of the newly assigned Department of Polymer at Risø.
From 2001 and onwards he has been the head of Risø"s nano technology programme, and The Danish Center of Polymers which is a joint venture between the Technical University of Copenhagen and Risø. Currently Bechgaard conducts research in the field of polymers and nano technology at the University of Copenhagen.
Education:
1969: Candidate scient.
Organic Chemistry, University of Copenhagen
1973: Lic.Scient. (Chemistry), University of Copenhagen. Academic Appointments:
1974-1984: Lecturer at the University of Copenhagen.
1984-1989: Professor at the University of Copenhagen
1989-1993: Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen.
1993-2000: Head of the Department of Condensed Matter Physics and Chemistry. Risø. 2001: In charge of the Interdisciplinary Nanotechnology Programme, Risø
2001-2003: Temporary Head of The Danish Polymer Centre and the Polymer Department Risø
2004–present: Professor of Chemistry at the University of Copenhagen (May since 2004).
Deputy Head
of Department
Other:
2004–present: A. J. Heeger Endowed Chair, UCSB, Santa Barbara
Honours:
Publications:
Approximately 370 peer reviewed papers in Chemistry and Solid State Physics, 7 patents
Awards:
1991: The Hewlett Packard Europhysics prize
1997: The NKT scientific prize
2000: The European Union Descartes prize
2008: The Hartmann Foundation memorial prize.