At the 15th National Conference on Electrochemistry which closed recently, Prof. Sun Shigang at XMU was awarded the first Prize for Contributions to Electrochemistry. This conference was the occasion of the first presentation of the prize awarded by the Chinese Society of Electrochemistry. It goes to a researcher who has made significant, break-through achievements in scientific or technological research into electrochemistry in the preceding 10 years. This prize is to be awarded every two years, with not more than 2 people receiving the prize each time. Prof. Sun was the only winner on this first occasion.

Prof. Sun returned to China in 1987 after studies in France. For 20 years he has dedicated himself to fundamental research in electrochemistry and electro-catalysis and has made great, systematic and innovative achievements in fields such as the micro-structure and properties of electrode surfaces, the mechanisms of electro-catalytic reactions at the molecular level and shape-controlled syntheses of metal nano-catalysts. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2005 and a Fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry in 2007. In 2008 He was awarded a first prize for Natural Sciences by the Ministry of Education.