The Grove Medal, which is awarded in honour of Sir William Grove, the inventor of the fuel cell, is awarded in 2012 to Professor Dr Hubert Gasteiger, who holds the Chair of Technical Electrochemistry at the Technical University of Munich, Germany.

During an international career, both as an industrial and university scientist, Professor Gasteiger has made remarkable contributions to the understanding of fuel cell related electrochemistry, and to the vitally important task of translating application requirements into fundamental parameters. His interests include electrocatalysts for low temperature fuel cells and electrolysers, as well as material degradation mechanisms.

As part of a distinguished career in various posts in Europe and America, Professor Gasteiger’s outstanding contribution to the science and technology of fuel cells include 65 publications and 12 book chapters, as well as being the main editor of the Handbook of Fuel Cells. He also has 28 published patents.

The 2012 Grove Medal will be presented to Professor Gasteiger at the Fuel Cells 2012 Science & Technology conference, taking place 11–12 April in Berlin, where he will deliver the opening Grove Medal Address.

The Fuel Cells 2012 Science & Technology conference will bring together leading researchers and technologists, working in critical areas such as new materials, degradation processes and systems engineering, to discuss the state-of-the-art, highlight new developments, and propose research priorities.

The plenary speakers include Shanna Knights (Ballard Power Systems, Canada), John Bøgild Hansen (Haldor Topsøe, Denmark), Mohammad Farooque (FuelCell Energy, USA), and Nancy Garland (Department of Energy, USA).

The technical sessions will cover PEM Fuel Cells, SOFCs, Fuels & Fuel Processing, Direct Fuel Cells (DMFC and DEFC), Modelling & Control, and Systems & Applications. There is also an extensive poster paper session.