Liew Family Professor of Molecular Engineering in the UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering Giulia Galli has received the CECAM top honor for her transformative contributions to computational molecular science.
The Berni J. Alder CECAM Prize is awarded every three years by the Centre Européen de Calcul Atomique et Moléculaire (CECAM), which promotes fundamental research on advanced computational methods with the goal of tackling major scientific problems.
Galli, an expert on computational and theoretical modeling of molecules and solids, was the selection committee’s unanimous pick for the 2025 prize.
“With over 450 publications and around 50,000 citations, her influence spans disciplines and generations,” her official award selection reads. “She has been an outstanding advocate for computational science and served the international community in a variety of important roles. Her leadership has been widely recognized, and her work and commitment to the development of the field have inspired colleagues, collaborators, and students across the globe.”
Galli said it was gratifying to have her work recognized by an organization focused on “computational science for societal benefit.”
“It is a great honor for me to receive such a prestigious award, named after one of the co-inventors of molecular dynamics, a key methodology in computational modeling of molecules and materials, and a methodology that has played a key role in my research over the years,” Galli said. “The accomplishments that are being recognized by this award also belong to the students and post-docs that I have had the fortune to work with during the years and to my many outstanding senior collaborators.”
Galli’s colleague Prof. Laura Gagliardi, the Richard and Kathy Leventhal Professor in the Department of Chemistry, UChicago PME and the James Franck Institute, said CECAM “could not have chosen a more deserving recipient.”
“Beyond her extraordinary scientific achievements, Giulia is a true role model in the international scientific community. She has served in numerous leadership roles and has been instrumental in advancing the mission of CECAM,” said Gagliardi, who is also the director of the Catalyst Design for Decarbonization Center. “She exemplifies the spirit of collaboration—working closely with both theorists and experimentalists—and is deeply committed to supporting her colleagues at the University of Chicago. Moreover, she is an outstanding mentor, inspiring the next generation of scientists through her guidance and example.”
Galli has been connected with CECAM since the beginning of her career. She, along with UChicago PME Prof. Andrew Ferguson and Prof. Juan de Pablo, helped bring a node of this European research network to the U.S., setting up the first North American CECAM node at UChicago.
CECAM-US-CENTRAL started operations in 2024, with Ferguson serving as director and Galli and Prof. Benoit Roux, from the Chemistry Department, serving as council representatives.
Galli had the opportunity to interact with the award’s namesake, physicist Berni Alder, in the early 2000s at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. She described him as “an incredibly sharp and original mind, also a man who kept you on your toes every time you talked to him, a scientist always ahead of his time.”
“Every time you talked to Berni you could be sure that he would give you his most honest and best scientific opinion,” she said.
Galli will receive the award at a ceremony scheduled for November.