x
Loading
+ -

Oliver Wenger receives Honda-Fujishima Lectureship Award

Two men in suits stand on a stage; one holds an open certificate folder.
Professor Oliver Wenger receives the award from Professor Tsuyoshi Kawai, president of the Japanese Photochemistry Association. (Photo: Tomohiro Ogawa, Kyushu University.)

Professor Oliver Wenger of the University of Basel’s Department of Chemistry has received the Honda-Fujishima Lectureship Award from the Japanese Photochemistry Association.

14 September 2026

Two men in suits stand on a stage; one holds an open certificate folder.
Professor Oliver Wenger receives the award from Professor Tsuyoshi Kawai, president of the Japanese Photochemistry Association. (Photo: Tomohiro Ogawa, Kyushu University.)

The award recognizes scientists for outstanding achievements in photochemistry. It is the first time since the award was established 20 years ago that it has gone to a Swiss scientist. Wenger received the award at the annual meeting of the Japanese Photochemistry Association in Kobe on 9 September 2026.

The Honda-Fujishima Lectureship Award recognizes Wenger’s “distinguished contributions towards a molecular level understanding of unconventional photophysics and photochemistry.” His research group investigates how molecules absorb light and use the resulting energy to drive chemical reactions. A particular focus is on understanding unconventional photophysical and photochemical processes and developing new approaches to photocatalysis and the use of light as a sustainable energy source.

Wenger has been Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Basel since 2012. In 2025, he received an ERC Advanced Grant for his “Breaking Kasha” research project, which explores the limits of established principles in photochemistry.

To top