The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (KVA) elected seven new members at its meeting on 12 February. One of the new members is Professor Fahmi Himo, a chemist at Stockholm University.
Fahmi Himo. Photo: Kálmán Szabó.
Fahmi Himo was elected to the KVA's chemistry class. He is a professor of quantum chemistry at the Department of Chemistry at Stockholm University. Fahmi Himo uses quantum chemical calculations to study catalytic reactions. A catalyst is a substance that accelerates a chemical reaction without being consumed in the process.
Fahmi Himo has extensive expertise in the modelling of catalytic reactions. He has, for example, used quantum chemical methods to study how enzymes function at the atomic level and how different metal complexes catalyse reactions. For the past few years, he has also focused on modelling reactions that occur in confined spaces.
A large number of problems have already been solved using quantum chemical calculations. The research concerns fundamental reaction mechanisms but can have practical applications, including in the development of new pharmaceuticals.
