2008 Seaborg Award: Romualdo T. deSouza

He holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from the University of Rochester (1988 and 1985, respectively) and an A.B. from Washington University, St. Louis (1983).

De Souza, professor of chemistry at Indiana University, Bloomington, is a leading researcher in the field of nuclear reaction dynamics. De Souza’s research deals with nuclear reactions involving a single collision of two nuclei. The collision yields a highly excited nuclear system that rapidly decays into multiple protons, neutrons, and larger clusters. This phenomenon is known as multifragmentation.

“Professor de Souza is a true scholar doing cutting-edge research in the field of nuclear chemistry,” says David E. Clemmer, Robert & Marjorie Mann Chair of Chemistry at Indiana University. “The insight, ambition, and energy that Professor de Souza brings to his science are remarkable,” Clemmer says.

Receiving this honor, however, was a bit of a surprise for de Souza. “It is gratifying to have the work that you feel so passionately about recognized by colleagues in the field,” he says. He adds that winning this award is particularly meaningful as many of his scientific role models are former Seaborg Award recipients.