Michele Parrinello

Michele Parrinello ( born September 7, 1945 in Messina ) is an Italian physicist who is engaged in physical chemistry and especially computer simulation methods in physics and chemistry.

Parrinello studied physics at the University of Bologna, where he obtained his Diploma ( Laurea ) in 1968. Later he was a professor at the International School for Advanced Studies ( SISSA ) in Trieste and then Director at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart, the External Scientific Member, he still is. He is since 2001 Professor of Computational Science at the Faculty of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at the ETH Zurich. Until 2003 he was Director of the Centro di Svizzero Calcolo Scientifico (CSCS ) in Manno (Ticino).

In 2009 he was awarded with Roberto Car, the Dirac Medal ( ICTP ) for their development of an ab initio simulation method that combines the quantum mechanical density functional theory calculations of the electronic structure with methods of molecular dynamics to simulate the classical ( Newtonian ) atomic motions. They call their method Ab initio molecular dynamics, it is also known as the Car-Parrinello method. The method was developed by two in 1985, when both were in Trieste, and found many applications in solid state physics, biochemistry, chemical physics, materials science.

Parrinello also worked on the simulation of structural phase transitions with methods of molecular dynamics, the theory of ion liquids, path integral calculations of solutions of molten salts in metals, Ziegler- Natta catalysis, proton transfer in water. He developed Rahman with the Parrinello-Rahman method of molecular dynamics, can be examined with the phase transitions in solids under pressure.

In 1990 he received the Hewlett Packard Prize of the European Physical Society with Car. 1995 both received the Aneesur -Rahman Prize of the American Physical Society, whose fellow he is. In 1995 he became honorary professor at the University of Stuttgart. In 1994 he received the Boys -Rahman Prize of the Royal Chemical Society. In 2001 he received the award for Theoretical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society. In 2009 he was awarded with the Sidney Fernbach Award Car of the IEEE. In 2011 he was awarded the Marcel Benoist Prize. He is a member of the Berlin- Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society, the Accademia dei Lincei and the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science. Parrinello is more honorary doctorates.