Artem R. Oganov (born 3 March 1975) is a Russian theoretical crystallographer, mineralogist,
chemist,
physicist, and materials scientist.[7] He is known mostly for his works on computational materials discovery and
crystal structure prediction, studies of matter at extreme conditions, including matter of planetary interiors.
Education
Oganov graduated from
Moscow State University in 1997 with magna summa cum laude and diploma in Crystallography and Crystal Chemistry. In 2002 he obtained a PhD degree in Crystallography from University College London, and in 2007 got a Habilitation degree from
ETH Zurich.
He is a laureate of several prestigious awards, including an ETH Latsis Prize,[9] Research Excellence Model of the European Mineralogical Union.[10] In 2012, Oganov won a "1000 talents professor" title in China and in the same year became a Professor Honoris Causa of Yanshan University (China), in 2013 elected Fellow of the Mineralogical Association of America,[11] In 2016 and 2017 he was named as one of the most cited Russian scientists in Chemistry [12] and Physics,[13] respectively. In 2022 he was included in the list of Highly Cited Researchers (
Clarivate).[14]
Oganov has held over 10 invited professorships (Universita degli Studi di Milano, Lille'Polytech, University of Paris, University of Poitiers, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, etc.). In 2011, Forbes magazine listed Oganov among "50 Russians who conquered the world".[23] In 2012, highly acclaimed cinema director, Laureate of State Prize Vladimir Gerchikov made a film "The color of a crystal" about Oganov,[24] in 2015 the celebrated TV journalist
Leonid Parfenov made a film "Made by Russians" about him.[25] and two other films about him appeared in 2018 on Kultura-TV channel [26] and on NTV channel [27] In 2019, as part of the 150th commemoration of Mendeleev's Periodic Table, yet another film came out,[28] where Oganov is one of the central characters. In 2013, magazines "Russian reporter" and "Expert" have listed Oganov among 100 most influential Russians today.[29]
Research
Oganov has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles (many in top journals, e.g. Nature, Science) and book chapters and 5 patents. He is a coauthor of 3 monographs and the author of 1 popular science book. His works have >30600 citations, h-index 84 (Google scholar, as of March 2023).[30]
His most important works are in fields of computational materials discovery, in particular the effects of pressure on chemical bonding, and state of matter at extreme conditions (e.g. inside the Earth and other planets). He has developed novel and highly efficient methods of crystal structure prediction [31] that became basis of the USPEX code,[32] used by more than 8500 researchers worldwide. Among the highlights are the discovery of the structure of a superhard phase of boron, gamma-B,[33][34] transparent phase of sodium,[35] new carbon allotrope,[36] prediction of MgSiO3 post-perovskite and its stability in the Earth's mantle,[37] prediction of other planet-forming minerals,[38] prediction and synthesis of "forbidden" compounds (e.g., Na3Cl),[39][40] discovery of helium chemistry,[41] and creation of borophene - a 2D-monolayer of boron atoms, with great promises for future technologies.[42] Oganov has proposed a new scale of
electronegativities of the chemical elements.[43]
Extending the definition of electronegativity to high pressures and tabulating
electronegativities and
chemical hardness for all elements (up to Cm, #96), Oganov and colleagues were able to explain many unusual phenomena of high pressure chemistry, as well as predicting new phenomena and compounds.[44] Prediction of the new high pressure hydrous compound Mg2SiO5H2 has inspired a new hypothesis on the origin of the Earth's
hydrosphere.[45] Oganov and colleagues have predicted and studied (theoretically and experimentally) a number of novel superconductors, which are among the highest-temperature superconductors known to date: ThH10 and ThH9,[46] YH6,[47] (La,Y)H6 and (La,Y)H10.[48] Computational methods developed by Oganov open up the way to discovery of materials with desired properties.
Personal life and family
Oganov speaks 5 languages (Russian, English, French, German, and Italian), is married, has four children and is a parishioner of St. Louis Catholic Church in Moscow.[49]