Gerard van Westen wants to get his artificial intelligence methods into the lab of as many chemists as possible. He applies these tools in his own work to identify new drug leads faster. For his innovative, multidisciplinary research, he has been awarded the KNCV Gold Medal 2023.   

This year, the most important scientific award for chemists under forty, the KNCV Gold Medal, goes to Gerard van Westen, professor of Artificial Intelligence & Medicinal Chemistry at Leiden University. He develops computational methods, here lumped together under the heading of AI (artificial intelligence), which can deepen, broaden and accelerate research into new drugs in many ways. In his inaugurial lecture earlier this year, Van Westen referred to the computer as a “co-pilot” in drug research. ‘We don’t create omniscient algorithms, but tools that allow you to do better research.’