The fourteenth Max Perutz Prize of the European Crystallographic Association is awarded to Professor Gilberto Artioli from the University of Padova, in recognition of his seminal contributions to materials science, his pioneering role in applying crystallography in industry, art, archaeology, and cultural heritage, and his engagement in the dissemination and promotion of crystallographic knowledge in society.
Prof. Gilberto Artioli shows a long and distinguished career in structural and mineralogical crystallography. His research spanned from investigations of hydrogen bonding in microporous materials using neutron diffraction, to development of software for full profile refinement of powder diffraction data.
He started the organization of the series of Italian national schools on powder diffraction and served as vice-President in the European Powder Diffraction Conference (EPDiC). He was one of the founders of the Italian Society for Synchrotron Radiation (SILS). His activity aimed to expand and diffuse the crystallographic utilization of large-scale facilities by the crystallographic community, especially focusing on simultaneous and combined experiments by diffraction, spectroscopy, and imaging. In 2008 he founded the Interdepartmental Centre for the investigation of binders and concrete (CIRCe), which he directed for 15 years.
He constantly emphasised the relevant role of crystallography in the study of cultural heritage materials. . His 2010 textbook on “Scientific methods and cultural heritage” represents a unique introduction to the application of materials science (and crystallography) to archaeometry and conservation science. In the period 2014-2023 he chaired the IUCr Commission on “Crystallography in art and cultural heritage” (CrysAC) and in this role he established and organized the successful series of the CrysAC workshops, meant to stimulate continuous scientific exchange between the crystallographic and the cultural heritage communities.
Prof. Artioli contributed to several editions of the IUCr textbook “Fundamentals of crystallography”, to volume H of the International Tables for Crystallography-Powder Diffraction, and to a number of national and international schools and workshops, including several Open Labs in Africa and the Middle East.