Axel B. Becke ‘77

Since the early 1990s, the “density functional” theory (DFT) of the electronic structure of atoms, molecules, and solids has enjoyed explosive growth in the chemical and physical sciences. Dr. Becke’s work, beginning in the 1980s and continuing to the present, is largely responsible for this surge in DFT applications. He has developed new classes of density functional theories that are able to predict the energies of chemical reactions with high accuracy, at a fraction of the cost of older non–DFT methods.

He has received the following honours: 2000, Schroedinger Medal of the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists; Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada; Fellow of the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists; Member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science; Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (elected 2000); and Killam Research Fellow of the Canada Council for the Arts (2005–2007).

According to the Thompson Reuters ISI he is the third most citied physicist in the world 1981–2010, with a count of 62,581 citations. His current count as of April , 2012 was 75,030 with an incredible average of 950 citations per publication. He is probably among the top ten most cited living scientists in all fields, in the world. That is real IMPACT in the scientific literature.