Marking the 100^th anniversary of Academician Paula Putanov

A ceremonial session in honour of the centenary of the birth of Academician Paula Putanov will be held on Monday, 15 December at 12 o’clock at the SASA Grand Hall. Academician Paula Putanov (b. Darda, 14 September 1925 – d. Belgrade, 24 January 2014) was one of our most notable scholars, who established the pillars of the Serbian catalysis school.

She graduated from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy, University of Belgrade, in 1952. In 1958, she defended her doctoral dissertation, Potentiometric Testing of Liquid Non-Aqueous Systems, at the same faculty.

She began her career at the then Institute of Chemistry of the Serbian Academy of Sciences (the predecessor of today’s Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy), where she advanced through all stages of research development. She was the founder and long-standing head of the Department of Catalysis at the Institute of Chemistry, Technology and Metallurgy in Belgrade. Through her dedicated work, she significantly strengthened the Department’s activities and fostered cooperation with the chemical, petrochemical and oil industries.

In 1966, she was elected Associate Professor at the Faculty of Technology, University of Novi Sad, and was promoted to Full Professor in 1973. Her teaching career, which lasted until her retirement in 1990, encompassed both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. She taught generations of catalysis engineers through her courses in Physical Chemistry and Catalysis.

She was elected a corresponding member of the Vojvodina Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1979, and a full member in 1984. She became a full member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in 1991. She was a member of the Presidency of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA) in the period between 1998 and 2006. As President of the Interdepartmental Board for Catalysis of the Vojvodina Academy of Sciences and Arts and of the Interacademic Board for Catalysis of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, she worked systematically to bring together all activities and key actors in the field of catalysis, first in the former Yugoslavia and later in Serbia. She founded and organised the periodic and highly significant international seminar series ‘New Challenges in Catalysis’

She commenced her scholarly career in electrochemistry but soon turned to catalysis, where she carried out pioneering work that laid the foundations for studying this field in Serbia. Her scientific achievements were closely accompanied by substantial collaboration with industry. She authored around 200 papers published in domestic and international journals, more than ten monographs in physical chemistry, and some eighty projects and studies. In addition, she delivered over forty invited lectures in Serbia and abroad.

She was a member of numerous national and international scientific societies, associations, committees, and editorial boards.

In recognition of her pioneering contributions, she received many accolades and awards, including the Golden Plaque of the UNIDO Catalyst Conference in Vienna (1973), the Order of Merit for the People with Silver Star (1974), the October Award of Novi Sad (1981), the Order of Labour with Golden Wreath (1991), the Charter of the University of Novi Sad (1995), the Charter of Gratitude of the Serbian Chemical Society (2001), and the Charter of Gratitude of the Faculty of Technology in Novi Sad (2009).