Luis A. ORO
Born: June, 13, 1945. Zaragoza, Spain. Address: Department of Inorganic Chemistry - ISQCH, University of Zaragoza - C.S.I.C. Zaragoza 50009 (Spain). Telephone: 34 976 761143. e-mail: oro@unizar.es. URL: http://personal.unizar.es/oro
Education: Graduated in Chemistry from University of Zaragoza, 1967. Doctor of Sciences, University of Zaragoza, 1970. Postdoctoral studies in coordination and organometallic chemistry at Leiden (1971, Kamerling Onnes Laboratorium) and Cambridge (1972-73, University Chemical Laboratory).
Appointments at the Spanish Universities:
2015-present Emeritus Professor, University of Zaragoza. 1982-2015 Chair Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Zaragoza. 2004-2013 Head of the “Instituto Universitario de Catálisis Homogénea”. 1981-82 Chair Professor of Chemistry, University of Santander. 1976-81 Associate Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, Universities of Madrid and Zaragoza. 1973-76 Lecturer of Chemistry, University of Zaragoza.
Visiting Professorships:
- 2012 Visiting Professor, University of Münster, Germany
- 2011-2018 Visiting Chair Professor, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, KSA
- 2004 Visiting Professor, University of Strasbourg, France
- 2000 Visiting Professor, University of Bordeaux, France
- 1997 and 1996 Humboldt Awarded Professor, University of Würzburg, Germany
Academies Membership
- 2018 Academia das Ciencias de Lisboa, Corresponding Member
- 2017 Royal Academy of Medicine of Zaragoza, Honorary Member
- 2007 Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Honorary Member
- 2006 German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, National Academy of Sciences
- 2003 European Academy of Sciences
- 2002 “Académie des Sciences” of France, Foreign Member
- 1994 Academia Europaea
- 1994 New York Academy of Sciences
- 1982 Royal Academy of Sciences of Zaragoza.
Selected Professional Appointments
- 2016-2022 Member of the Governing Council of the State Research Agency.
- 2012-2017 Member of the Spanish Science, Technology and Innovation Council.
- 2009-present Series Editor de Topics in Organometallic Chemistry.
- 2009-2016 Co-chairman of the Editorial Board of ChemCatChem.
- 2004-2017 Vice-president of Zaragoza Knowledge Foundation.
- 2002-2020 President of the Chemistry Europe Partnership (European Journals of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry, ChemCatChem and ChemPhotoChem).
- 2008-2011 President of the European Chemical Society (EuChemS).
- 2008-2013 Member of National Commission of Research Activity Evaluation.
- 2005-2012 Scientific Council of the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology.
- 2005-2011 Program committee member of the Millennium Science Initiative, Government of Chile.
- 2004-2013 Head of the “Instituto Universitario de Catálisis Homogénea”.
- 2000-2005 President of the Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry.
- 1997-2002 Coordinator of the Iberoamerican Network on Homogeneous Catalysis.
- 1993-1998 Vice-President of the European Science Foundation (ESF).
- 1997-1998 Member of the European Science and Technology Assembly (EU).
- 1993-1995 Science Policy Committee, OECD.
- 1988-1994 Secretary General of the National Plan of Scientific Research and Technological Development.
- 1987-1988 Director General of Scientific and Technical Research, Ministry of Education and Science.
R&D Activities:
Well over 650 publications on:
- Preparation, structure and reactivity of organometallic and coordination complexes.
- Homogeneous catalysis by complexes of rhodium, iridium, ruthenium and osmium, in reactions of hydrogenation, hydrogen transfer, hydroformylation, hydrosilylation and C-H activation.
- Molecular architecture, cluster chemistry and polymetallic reactivity, particularly rhodium and iridium complexes with bridging ligands containing N, P, O or S donor atoms.
Co-author of a book on "Homogeneous Hydrogenation" (with P.A. Chaloner, M.A. Esteruelas y F. Joó, Kluwer Pub., Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1994) and an introductory book on Chemistry (1997). Co-editor of books on "Iridium Catalysts for Organic Reactions" (with C. Claver, Springer-Nature, 2020), on “Iridium Complexes in Organic Transformations” (with C. Claver, Wiley-VCH, 2008), on "Metal Clusters in Chemistry" (with P. Braunstein y P.R. Raithby, 1798 pgs, Wiley-VCH, 1999) and on Homogeneous Catalysis (in Spanish, 2000). Invited editor of an special issue of Coordination Chemistry Reviews entitled "Molecular Inorganic Chemistry in Spain" (Coord. Chem. Rev., 193-195, 1-1169, 1999).
Co-author of two patents in the field of homogeneous catalysis.
Series Editor of Topics in Organometallic Chemistry. Member of several Advisory Committees and Scientific Societies. He is, or has been, member of the Editorial Advisory Board of several international journals such as Angewandte Chemie, European Journal of Inorganic Chemistry or Organometallics and Co-chairman of the Editorial Board of ChemCatChem.
He has been named "Highly Cited Researcher" in the field of Chemistry by ISI Web of Knowledge
He has been the Chairman of the VI European Research Conference on Inorganic Chemistry (2000) and the XXII International Conference on Organometallic Chemistry (2006). Cochairman of the 13th International Symposium on Homogeneous Catalysis (2002) and the Symposium on Mechanisms in Homogeneous Catalysis (2003). He has given over 250 invited talks and several named lectureships, and mentored well over one hundred PhD graduate and postdoctoral students.
Author of various papers and two books in the area of research and science policy. A representative book on this activity is: "El Sistema Español de Ciencia y Tecnología: Evolución y Perspectivas" (with A. Lafuente, 135 pgs. Fundesco, 1992).
Selected Awards (from 1989):
- 2019 Doctor Honoris Causa, Universidad Complutense de Madrid.
- 2019 Doctor Honoris Causa, Universidad San Jorge, Zaragoza.
- 2018 Lord Lewis Prize, Royal Society of Chemistry, U.K.
- 2015 Doctor Honoris Causa, Universitat Rovira i Virgili
- 2015 Honorary Fellow of ChemPubSoc Europe
- 2015 Lorenço-Madinaveitia Award
- 2014 EuChemS Award
- 2014 ICIQ Serratosa Medal
- 2013 Aragonia Prize
- 2008 Schulich Lecturership, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology
- 2007 National Research Prize for Chemistry “Enrique Moles”
- 2007 Research Prize and Gold Medal of the Royal Spanish Society of Chemistry
- 2007 Honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
- 2007 Zaragoza Gold Medal
- 2006 Member of the German Academy of Sciences LEOPOLDINA
- 2005 Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Rennes 1
- 2003 Named "Highly Cited Researcher" in the field of Chemistry by ISI Web of Knowledge
- 2003 Sacconi Medal
- 2003 Member of the European Academy of Sciences
- 2003 Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Invited Fellow
- 2002 Foreign Member of the “Académie des Sciences”, France
- 2002 Elhuyar-Goldschmidt Lecturership (GDCh)
- 2002 Fellow of the World Innovation Foundation
- 2002 Lectureship Award, Taiwan Chemical Research Promotion Center
- 2001 Betancourt-Perronet Prize
- 2001 Aragón Prize
- 1999 King Jaime I Research Prize
- 1998 Pacific North West Inorganic Lectureship
- 1997 Catalan-Sabatier Prize (SFC)
- 1995 HUMBOLDT Forschungspreise
- 1994 Encomienda de Número de la Orden del Mérito Civil
- 1994 Member of the ACADEMIA EUROPAEA, London
- 1989 SOLVAY Prize
