Zoltán Kónya - Biography#

Zoltán Kónya was born in 1971, Budapest Hungary, graduated in chemistry from Attila József University (former JATE, now SZTE), Hungary in 1994, and received his PhD in 1998. From 1997 to 2002 he worked as visiting professor for 3 years in the laboratories of Prof. János B. Nagy (Facultes Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, Namur, Belgium) on the synthesis and application of carbon nanotubes and later for Prof. Gábor Somorjai (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California) on the synthesis and catalytic application of metal nanoparticles. His current research interest is the application of 0D, 1D and 2D nanostructures in biological and environmental systems.

Prof. Kónya published more than 500 papers, he is the co-author and co-editor of several books, received over 9500 citations and has an H-index of 54 (WoS)/63 (Google Scholar). Currently, he is professor of chemistry at University of Szeged.

Prof. Kónya carried several administrative positions at SZTE, e.g. Director of the Institute of Chemistry (2011-2018), Head of Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry (2010-), Head of Environmental Doctoral School (2013-). From 2018 he serves as Vice-Rector for Research and Innovation.

Prof. Kónya was awarded Pungor Ernő Medal of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2015 and the Polanyi Medal of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2004, George Hevesy Lectureship of German Chemical Society in 2017. Dr. Kónya received Gábor Dénes Award (the most prestigious innovation award in Hungary) for his work in the field of manufacture of nanomaterials/nanocomposites and their industrial application. In 2019 Prof. Kónya was decorated with the Hungarian Order of Merit Officer’s Cross Civil Section.