Borys Minaiev, Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Nanomaterials Science at Bohdan Khmelnytsky National University of Cherkasy, took part in the international symposium “Quantum Chemistry – Now and Then”, delivering a scientific presentation.

The event took place in the capital of Sweden and was dedicated to the 80^th anniversary of Per Siegbahn, one of the most influential theoreticians in modern science.

The event became not only a platform for the exchange of ideas, but also a symbol of unity between generations of theoreticians who shape the face of modern chemistry.

The topic of Professor Minaiev’s speech was “Configurational and Spin-Orbit Interactions in the Early Days of Quantum Chemistry”, offering an original perspective on the origins of theoretical chemistry and its development as a separate field.

Among the participants of the symposium were prominent world-class scientists: Professor Fahmi Himo, a full member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, a renowned expert in the field of quantum computing; Professor Margareta Blomberg, a long-time co-author with Per Siegbahn – a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences – with whom she co-authored over 90% of his scientific publications.

Of particular importance was the report of Per Erik Manne Siegbahn himself (“50 Years of Quantum Chemical Research”), who is the son of the Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics Kai Siegbahn and the grandson of another Nobel Laureate, Manne Siegbahn. Yet it is not his famous lineage that matters most, but his own remarkable scientific journey, which already deserves a distinct page in history:

He is the founder of methods that laid the foundation for modern quantum chemistry and explained the mechanisms of catalysis, respiration, and photosynthesis.

Author of over 500 scientific publications, creator of approaches that transformed chemical science.

Professor of Theoretical Physics at Stockholm University since 1983.

A humble man, focused entirely on science, described by colleagues as a “man within himself”.

The symposium was filled not only with scientific presentations, but also with lively conversations and long-awaited reunions after decades. Professor Minaiev shared photographs featuring himself and fellow scientists – individuals whose names are inscribed in the golden legacy of global science.

The Educational-Scientific Institute of Natural and Agrarian Sciences