Reaction Kinetics and Photochemistry Working Group of MTA

The Reaction Kinetics and Photochemistry Working Group works within the Section of Chemical Sciences, Committee on Physical Chemistry of MTA (Hungarian Academy of Sciences).

Tibor Nagy (chair)
Gábor Schuszter (vice-chair)

News

If you have any information to be shared, please contact Tibor Nagy or Gábor Schuszter (e-mail: nagy.tibor@ttk.mta.hu or schuszti@chem.u-szeged.hu).

A new member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from the Reaction Kinetics and Photochemistry Working Group.

Among the corresponding members elected to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2025 is Prof. István Fábián, a member of our Working Group. Congratulations!
The newly elected members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences were introduced at the 199th General Assembly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Following the election, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences has 294 full members, 71 corresponding members, 201 external members, and 191 honorary members.
The publication presenting the members elected in 2025 can be read here (in Hungarian).

Polányi Prize 2025

Based on the decision of the Board of Trustees, the 2025 Polányi Youth Prize has been awarded to Dr. Gergely Ferenc Samu (University of Szeged). The award ceremony will take place on June 4, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. in the Small Hall of the Headquarters of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Election of new Chair, March 2024

The working group eleced Dr. Tibor Nagy from the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences to be the new Chair.

Polányi Prize 2022

Based on the decision of the Board of Trustees, the 2022 Polányi Youth Prize was awarded to Dr. Norbert Lihi (University of Debrecen). The award ceremony took place on May 16, 2023, in the Great Hall of the Headquarters of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Election of new Chair, March 2021

The working group eleced Prof. Ágota Tóth of from the Deparment of Phyisical Chemistry and Materials Science to be the new Chair.

Polányi Prize 2020

Based on the decision of the Board of Trustees, the 2020 Polányi Prize was awarded to Prof. István Bányai (University of Debrecen).

Polányi Prize 2018

Based on the decision of the Board of Trustees, the 2018 Polányi Youth Prize was awarded to Dr. József Kalmár (University of Debrecen).

Polányi Prize 2017

Based on the decision of the Board of Trustees, the 2017 Polányi Prize was awarded to Prof. László Biczók (TTK).

Polányi Prize 2015

Based on the decision of the Board of Trustees, the 2015 Polányi Prize was awarded to Prof. István Fábián (University of Debrecen). The award ceremony took place on March 29, 2016.

Video summary of the Spring 2015 meeting

The Working Group meeting held in Debrecen at the end of March also served as the closing event of the ENVIKUT project of the University of Debrecen. A short, three-minute video compilation of the event is available below:

Meetings

The working group has two-day meetings twice every year. Below you will find the program of the meetings in pdf format (in Hungarian).

Meeting programs (in Hungarian)

20-21 November 2025, Mátrafüred

The program of the meeting will be available soon...

The earlier history of the Working Group

What happened

When

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What happened

When

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Photo gallery

The working group has two-day meetings twice every year. Photos of the meetings can be downloaded below:

  • All
  • Spring
  • Fall
  • Balatonalmádi
  • Balatonvilágos
  • Budapest
  • Mátrafüred
  • Veszprém
  • on-line

2025/1

29-30 May 2025, Balatonalmádi

2024/2

7-8 November 2024, Mátrafüred

2024/1

30-31 May 2024, Balatonvilágos

2023/2

26-27 October 2023, Mátrafüred

2023/1

8-9 June 2023, Balatonvilágos

2022/2

27-28 October 2022, Mátrafüred

2022/1

19-20 May 2022, Balatonvilágos

2021/2

21-22 October 2021, Mátrafüred

2021/1

27 May 2021, on-line

2019/1

23-24 May 2019, Balatonalmádi

2018/2

8-9 November 2018, Veszprém

2018/1

24-25 May 2018, Balatonalmádi

2017/2

2-3 November 2017, Budapest

2017/1

29-30 May 2017, Balatonalmádi

Research groups working in reaction kinetics and photochemistry

The meetings of the Reaction Kinetics and Photochemistry Working Group of MTA provide an opportunity for researchers working in the fields of reaction kinetics and photochemistry to share research results and to develop collaborations. The working group brings together the following research groups:

The research conducted in the group covers the production and conversion of renewable energy sources by thermal, photo-, electrochemical, and catalytic methods.

Renewable Energy Research Group

HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences
Budapest

They are looking for answers to how photoinitiated reaction steps in a complex redox reaction are coupled with other thermally activated reaction steps. Another major area of ​​their research is the synthesis and characterization of functionalized aerogels.

Redox Reaction Mechanisms Research Group

University of Debrecen, Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry

Evaluation of femtosecond experiments with numerical deconvolution. Kinetics and dynamics of electron solvation. Ultrafast (subpicosecond) electron and energy transfer reactions. Electron transport and thermalization in condensed phase.

Femtochemistry Group

Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Chemistry
Budapest

Mechanism validation and optimization: the performance of a reaction mechanism is tested against a large body of published experimental data. Much of the work involves assessing the uncertainty of the data and eliminating potentially unreliable measurements.

Chemical Kinetics Laboratory

Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Chemistry
Budapest

The research group focuses on the design and study of new types of chemical systems that exhibit periodic behavior in time and space.

Laboratory of Nonlinear Chemical Dynamics

Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Chemistry
Budapest

With current experimental technologies, measurement capacity is often limited or quantitative information is difficult and expensive to obtain. Knowing the results of the calculations, experimental design can be rationalized.

Computational Chemistry Research Group

University of Miskolc, Institute of Chemistry

They deal with light-induced processes that take place under natural conditions (under the influence of solar radiation) or in artificial systems (with artificial light sources).

Environmental and Inorganic Photochemistry Research Group

University of Pannonia, Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Veszprém

Their goal is photochemical water splitting in a homogeneous aqueous medium, using various photocatalysts and photosensitive molecules. The reactions are followed by spectrophotometry, which is often the light source of the photoreaction.

Photochemistry Research Group

University of Pécs, Institute of Chemistry

The aim of the research group is to develop mathematical methods for reaction kinetics and to develop and refine mathematical models of chemical systems.

Mathematical Reaction Kinetics Research Group

University of Pécs, Institute of Chemistry

The research group is engaged in the experimental study and modeling of redox reactions with complex kinetic properties. During the calculations, the kinetic model is constructed by fitting several experimental curves together.

Reaction Kinetics Research Group

University of Pécs, Institute of Chemistry

Their research areas are: flow-driven self-assembly, numerical modeling, microgravity experiments, organic oscillator design, determination of diffusion constant in hydrogels, kinetics of heterogeneous processes.

Nonlinear Dynamics and Kinetics Group

University of Szeged, Department of Applied and Environmental Chemistry

Modeling of chemical oscillators. Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. Acid-base diodes. Nonequilibrium thermodynamics. Nonlinear dynamics. Bifurcations. Chemical waves, geometric theory of waves. Models with reaction-diffusion equation.

Group of Chemical Physics

Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Physics

The following research topics are covered: dynamics of reacting and diffusing systems, temporal and/or spatial self-organization caused by chemical instability, temporal and spatial symmetry breaking, oscillators, pattern formation, practical applications.

Chemical Dynamic systems

Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Physics

Their area of expertise is the modeling and simulation of processes that can be described by differential equations, as well as the solution of other tasks requiring computer modeling (Matlab, Python, Wolfram).

Formal Reaction Kinetics Research Group

Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Mathematics

They are working on creating artificial, peptide-based chloride transporters that exhibit protein-like properties, which could be used in the treatment of cystic fibrosis and certain oncological conditions.

Artificial Transporters Research Group

HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences
Budapest

Members

Voting members of our working committee are the members of the public body of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) who indicated in writing to the chair or the vice-chair their interest to be a member with a voting right. Consulting members are the members of the public body of MTA with voting right in a different working committee.

Anyone with a PhD or a CSc can become a member of the public body of MTA by indicating his/her intent in writing to the appropriate section of MTA, in our case to the Section of Chemical Sciences following the regulations (in Hungarian).

To become an Invited Participant just send an request.

Voting Members:


Bagyinka, Csaba
DSc (2000)

Field of expertise: biophysics

Biczók, László
DSc (1998)

Field of expertise: photochemistry

Bódiss, János
CSc (1996)

Field of expertise: oscillating reactions, thermodynamics

Czakó, Gábor
DSc (2017)

Field of expertise: theoretical reaction dynamics

Csörgei-Kurin, Krisztina
PhD (1997)

Field of expertise: oscillating reactions

Demeter, Attila
DSc (2006)

Field of expertise: photochemistry

Ditrói-Dóka, Éva
PhD (2016)

Field of expertise: solution kinetics

Dóbé, Sándor
DSc (1995)

Field of expertise: gas kinetics

Fábián, István
member of MTA (2025)

Field of expertise: solution kinetics, photochemistry

Gáspár, Vilmos
DSc (2001)

Field of expertise: nonlinear chemical dynamics

Héberger, Károly
DSc (2000)

Field of expertise: chemometry, gas chromatography

Holló, Gábor
PhD (2019)

Field of expertise: chemical patterns

Horváth, Attila
DSc (2018)

Field of expertise: solution kinetics

Horváth, Dezső
DSc (2010)

Field of expertise: chemical patterns

Kalmár, József
PhD (2013)

Field of expertise: aerogels, redox reactions and photochemical reactions

Kawka, László
dr. univ. (1983)

Field of expertise: catalysis, kinetics, biochemistry

Keszei, Ernő
DSc (1998)

Field of expertise: solution kinetics, femtochemistry

Kubinyi, Mikós
DSc (2000)

Field of expertise: photochemistry

Lagzi, István László
PhD (2004)

Field of expertise: atmospheric chemistry, chemical patterns

Lendvay, György
DSc (2003)

Field of expertise: theoretical chemistry

Lente, Gábor
DSc (2013)

Field of expertise: theoretical reaction kinetics

Megyesi, Mónika
PhD (2010)

Field of expertise: photochemistry and photophysics of alkaloids

Miskolczy, Zsombor
PhD (2008)

Field of expertise: kinetics and thermodynamics of supramolecular complex formation

Molnár, István
PhD (2020)

Field of expertise: nonlinear chemical dynamics

Nagy, Tibor
PhD (2009)

Field of expertise: theoretical chemistry, combustion kinetics

Ősz, Katalin
PhD (2004)

Field of expertise: homogeneous reaction kinetics, photochemistry

Schiller, Róbert
DSc (1974)

Field of expertise: radiation chemistry, transport processes, corrosion phenomena

Schuszter, Gábor
PhD (2014)

Field of expertise: nonlinear dynamics

Sebők-Nagy, Krisztina
PhD (2003)

Field of expertise: membrane biophysics

Szabó, Mária
PhD (2020)

Field of expertise: reaction kinetics

Szalai, István
DSc (2011)

Field of expertise: nonlinear dynamics

Szőri, Milán
PhD (2009)

Field of expertise: theoretical chemistry

Tóth, Ágota
DSc (2010)

Field of expertise: nonlinear dynamics

Tóth, János
CSc (1986)

Field of expertise: deterministic and stochastic formal reaction kinetics

Turányi, Tamás
DSc (2004)

Field of expertise: combustion kinetics, mathematical analysis of reaction mechanisms

Valkó, Éva
PhD (2019)

Field of expertise: sensitivity analysis, uncertainty analysis, parameter fitting, numerical optimization

Vidóczy, Tamás
DSc (2002)

Field of expertise: photochemistry

Zádor, Judit
PhD (2006)

Field of expertise: theoretical chemistry, combustion kinetics

Zsély, István Gyula
PhD (2005)

Field of expertise: combustion kinetics


Consulting Members:


Bazsa, György
DSc (1990)

Field of expertise: reaction kinetics, oscillatory reactions

Póta, György
CSc (1992)

Field of expertise: nonlinear dynamics


Invited Participants:


Forgács, Attila
PhD (2018)

Field of expertise: solution kinetics

Kiss, István Zalán
PhD (2000)

Field of expertise: electrochemistry, nonlinear dynamics, synchronization

Mogyoródi, Ferenc
CSc (1977)

Field of expertise: reaction kinetics, photochemistry

Samu, Gergely Ferenc
PhD (2018)

Field of expertise: photoelectrochemistry

Szabó, Rebeka
PhD (2024)

Field of expertise: kinetic modeling of nanoparticle formation

Contact

If you have any questions or comments, please find the chair or vice-chair of the Working Group:

Tibor Nagy (chair)

HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry (room D1.03B)
H-1519 Budapest, P.O.Box 286, Hungary

+36 1 382 6507

Gábor Schuszter (vice-chair)

University of Szeged, Department of Physical Chemistry and Materials Science (room F13)
H-6720 Szeged, Rerrich Béla tér 1., Hungary

+36 62 544 111