The 2025 Edmund Lukevics Award, established by the Development Fund of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, has been awarded to PhD Renāte Vaisgerberga for her research on "The Development and Application of Fluoromethylene Transfer Reagents", conducted at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis. The research was supervised by Dr sci. nat. Jānis Veliks, Corresponding Member of the Latvian Academy of Sciences.

Dr Renāte Vaisgerberga has been working at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis since 2015. She earned her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from Riga Technical University. Under the supervision of Dr Jānis Veliks, she became engaged in organic synthesis methodology research, focusing specifically on methods for introducing fluoromethylene groups into organic compounds. While fluorine atoms are already present in the structure of every fifth active pharmaceutical ingredient, the available synthetic methods for their incorporation remain limited and often involve the use of harsh and environmentally harmful reagents. Dr Vaisgerberga’s research is therefore particularly significant for the advancement of organic synthesis methodology.

Her doctoral dissertation has resulted in seven scientific publications, and she has presented her findings at multiple scientific conferences.

Dr Vaisgerberga is currently continuing her work at the Organic Synthesis Laboratory of the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, where she is independently leading the research project “A Novel Source Towards Challenging Monofluorocarbene”.

The Edmund Lukevics Award will be presented to Dr Renāte Vaisgerberga at the Spring General Meeting of the Latvian Academy of Sciences on 3 April 2025.

About the Award

Edmunds Lukevics (1936–2009) was a Latvian chemist and a pioneer in the chemistry of organosilicon and organogermanium compounds in Latvia. He gained international recognition for his contributions to the chemistry of Group IVa element-organic compounds. In addition to these fields, his research interests encompassed the biological activity of organosilicon and organogermanium compounds, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, phase-transfer catalysis, the application of ultrasound in element-organic chemistry, and other areas.

E. Lukevics was awarded the Gustavs Vanags Prize (1986), the Grand Medal of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (1996), and the Cabinet of Ministers Award (2004).

The award was established in 2024 and is granted to early-career researchers for outstanding doctoral research conducted within the research areas defined by the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis Research Strategy.