Lu Jiaxi

Lu Jiaxi (; 26 October 1915 – 4 June 2001), or Chia-Si Lu, was a Chinese physical chemist who is considered a founder of the discipline in China. He served as president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, founding director of Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM), and founding president of Fuzhou University, as well as high-ranking political positions, including chairman of the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), and Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress.

Biography

On 26 October 1915, Lu Jiaxi was born to a scholarly family in Xiamen (Amoy), Fujian, China. A child prodigy, he finished elementary school in a single year, before spending another year and a half in junior high school. Before turning 13, he passed the entrance examination to a preparatory class for Xiamen University. He received the Tan Kah Kee scholarship for four years and graduated from Xiamen University in 1934 with a degree in chemistry. He then taught at the university for three years. His research in the area of combustion and explosion earned him an R&D prize from the NDRC. He served as President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) from 1981 to 1988, and as a special advisor to the CAS afterwards. He was also Vice President of the Third World Academy of Sciences. His political positions include Chairman of the Chinese Peasants' and Workers' Democratic Party (1988–97, Honorary Chairman afterwards), Vice Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (1988–93 and 1998–2003), and Vice Chairman of the National People's Congress (1993–98).

Lu Jiaxi died on 4 June 2001. On 6 April 2002, a bronze statue of him was erected in front of the Chemistry Department of Xiamen University.

Research and honours Lu Jiaxi's research focus was on physical, structural, nuclear, and materials chemistry. He proposed a structural model of the center of nitrogenase, a key enzyme used in biological nitrogen fixation, and studied the relationship between chemical structure and performance. His work is recognized internationally, and he was elected as a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and of the Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium. For his contributions to structural chemistry, he was awarded the Scientific Achievement Prize by the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation. In 1998, the asteroid 3844 Lujiaxi was named in his honour.