Moungi Bawendi: The Tunisian-American Chemistry Nobel Prize laureate

He spent his childhood between Paris and Tunis before immigrating to the US at the age of 10

The winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry is announced in Stockholm. AP

Tunisian-American Moungi Bawendi has been announced as one of the winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots – tiny particles of matter that emit exceptionally pure light.

The field of quantum dots is related to nanotechnology, and the dots – or man-made crystals – can be as wide as two nanometres, or two billionths of a metre. The dots are sometimes referred to as artificial atoms.

Human blood cells, by comparison, are about 7,000 nanometres wide.

The dots are often used in experimental technology, such as quantum computers, which are used for solving highly complex problems – for example, simulating climate change in a given part of the world or creating advanced materials.

Current applications of the dots involve cutting-edge computer and TV screen displays as well as new ways of mapping cancerous tumours.

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences honoured Prof Bawendi’s work which “revolutionised the chemical production of quantum dots, resulting in almost perfect particles”, stating that such high-quality research was necessary for them to be utilised in applications across different fields and disciplines.

Prof Bawendi, who is currently a professor at the Lester Wolfe Department of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was born in 1961 in Paris.

“My father is Tunisian and my mother is French. I spent my childhood between Paris, Tunis and Nice before eventually moving to the United States when I was 10,” Prof Bawendi said at a press conference held by MIT on Wednesday.

Prof Bawendi’s family first settled in West Lafayette, Indiana, when his father Mohamed Salah, a mathematician, became a professor at Purdue University. Before that, he was a professor at the University of Tunis.

After earning his diploma from West Lafayette Junior-Senior High School, Prof Bawendi went on to pursue his studies at Harvard University, where he finished a master’s degree in chemistry before moving to the University of Chicago, where he finished his doctorate.

In 1982, as a first-year student at Harvard, Prof Bawendi failed his first chemistry exam, receiving the lowest grade in his class - an experience that only pushed him to work harder and persevere.

“You have a setback, but you can persevere and overcome this and learn from your experience, which obviously I did,” Prof Bawendi said.

“I liked what I was doing, and so I learnt how to become successful as a student.”

Prof Bawendi, who has been working for decades on the development of quantum dots for use in different fields, said he would never have imagined that the subject of his research would reach such heights.

“I think 30 years ago, none of us who started the field could have predicted 30 years later we would be where we are today,” Prof Bawendi said.

“It is just amazing to me, if you have really great people working on a brand new field with brand new materials, innovation comes out in directions that you cannot predict.”

His Nobel Prize win has become a source of pride for many in Tunisia.

“It is an absolute honour not only for his [Prof Bawendi's] family but for every aspiring young Tunisian who wants to go beyond what our country has to offer,” one person told Mosaique radio.

Over the past few decades, thousands of Tunisian graduates with dreams of conducting further research have had to leave the country due to a lack of resources.

Higher education is mostly free in Tunisia, but as the Ministry of Higher Education and Technology is dependent on state funds, the worsening economic situation has put expanded research out of reach for many.

“Unfortunately this win is also a reminder of the wasted Tunisian talents who need to look for support and opportunities abroad to find growth in their careers,” the caller added.