Felipe Gándara gets the Alajos Kálmán Prize for his contributions to reticular chemistry

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Felipe Gándara, a researcher at the Materials Science Institute of Madrid (ICMM-CSIC), has been awarded with the Alajos Kálmán Prize 2025 by the European Chrystallographic Association for his contributions to reticular chemistry. "Structural chemistry has always been at the heart of my research, and receiving this prize is a great honor. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work alongside many outstanding researchers who share this passion and vision,” says the Spanish researcher after receiving the news.

"Dr. Felipe Gándara Barragán has made significant contributions to the field of reticular chemistry over the last decade and has been deeply engaged in MOFs and COFs research," says the justification of the prize. According to the Prize Committee, the innovative approach of Gándara "emphasizes the critical role of structural chemistry in understanding, controlling, and designing novel molecular-based materials with tailored properties for vital applications in energy and sustainability".

The researcher adds: “From the early stages of my career, I was lucky to be mentored by scientists who instilled in me a deep appreciation for the fundamental importance and transformative power of structural chemistry across many different fields of science. This recognition also reflects their influence and the collaborative spirit of the crystallographic community”.

The ECA also points out that Gándara has pioneered crystallographic studies using a combination of experimental and computational techniques and has made significant contributions to the education and dissemination of structural chemistry, adds the committee. The Spanish researcher will receive a medal and a financial award. He will also deliver a Prize Lecture at the ECM: it will be on Wednesday, August 27 at 17.15-18.00 in Poznan.

Felipe Gándara is a Staff Scientist at the Materials Science Institute of Madrid (ICMM-CSIC), where he leads research in reticular chemistry and porous materials. His work focuses on the design, synthesis, and advanced structural analysis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) for applications in energy and environmentally related fields.

He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2009 from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid under the supervision of Prof. M. A. Monge and Dr. N. Snejko, followed by postdoctoral research in the group of Prof. O. M. Yaghi, at UCLA (2009-2012) and UC Berkeley-LBNL (2012-2014), where he specialized in the development of framework materials. Since returning to ICMM-CSIC, he has held positions as a CSIC-ComFuturo and Ramón y Cajal researcher before becoming a Staff Scientist in 2020. His work integrates synthetic chemistry, advanced structural analysis, and computational modeling to understand and design new functional materials.

Alajos Kálmán Prize

The International Kálmán Prize preserves the memory of the late Alajos Kálmán, an eminent scientist in the field of chemical crystallography. The Prize is established by the Hungarian Chemical Society and is endorsed by European Crystallographic Association (ECA). The ECA awards the Alajos Kálmán Prize twice in a three-year cycle (year of the General Assembly of the IUCr excluded) at the European Crystallographic Meetings (ECMs). The Prize will be awarded to an individual researcher in recognition for outstanding scientific contributions in the field of structural sciences within the last 5-10 years. The prize consists of a medal and a financial award and the awardee delivers a Prize Lecture at the ECM.