The medal will be presented in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the ISEO 2025 event.
The first promoters of the ISEO Medal were Giovanni Dugo and Luigi Mondello, Chairmen of the 35th ISEO organized in Giardini Naxos, Italy, in 2004.
The idea of the ISEO medal came up again in 2017, when the Permanent ISEO Scientific Committee has decided to create an honorary medal to be attributed every year to a scientist that during his scientific career has contributed significantly and innovatively to promote the development of the scientific knowledge in the essential oil field. The scientific topics to be considered for the award must illustrate one or more aspects of the multitask discipline including botany and cultivation, chemistry, biological activity, and applications in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and other fields
The ISEO Medal was officially instituted in 2019, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of ISEO, held in Wien, Austria. With the help of the members of the ISEO permanent Scientific Committee and an artist from Messina, as well as the Merck company, official sponsor of the medal, the ISEO Medal of Honour was created.
Previous ISEO Medal of Honour Recipients
2019: Prof. Ian Karlsen, University of Oslo, Norway (50th ISEO, Wien, Austria)
2021: Prof. Karl Heinz Kubeczka, University of Wurzburg, Germany (51st ISEO, Turkey, on-line)
2022: Prof. Carlo Bicchi, University of Turin, Italy (52nd ISEO, Wroclaw, Poland)
2023: Prof. Dr. Kemal Hüsnü Can Başer, University of Nicosia, N. Cyprus and
Prof. Giovanni Dugo, University of Messina, Italy (53rd ISEO, Milazzo, Messina, Italy)
2024: Prof. Dr. Yoshinori Asakawa, Institute of Pharmacognosy, Tokushima Bunri University, Tokushima, JAPAN
Prof. Dr. Chlodwig Franz, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, AUSTRIA (54th ISEO, Balatonalmadi-Hungary)
Laureate of ISEO Medal of Honor for 55th ISEO, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina:
2025: Prof. Dr. Gerhard Buchbauer, Emeritiert, University of Vienna,Faculty of Life Sciences, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vienna, AUSTRIA
Prof. Dr. Ana Cristina Figueiredo, University of Lisbon, Faculty of Sciences of Lisbon, Lisbon, PORTUGAL
2025 Laureates
Professor Gerhard Buchbauer, Emeritiert
Institut für Pharmazeutische Wissenschaften, Fakultät für Lebenswissenschaften der Universität Wien
Wien, ÖSTERREICH
Gerhard Buchbauer (born 1943) studied pharmacy at the University of Vienna and has dedicated his entire scientific career to odors, essential oils, and their constituents. He created the issue of odor- and aroma compounds in its entirety (synthesis, analysis, computer-aided fragrance design, biological impact in animal models and humans) as a distinct discipline in Vienna’s Pharmacy and was affiliated to worldwide research groups ranging from Australia, Canada, and Europe to Japan. He wrote over 470 articles (book chapters and peer-reviewed manuscripts, 270 of which were on essential oils) and is co-editor of “Handbook of Essential Oils” (Taylor & Francis, 2010, 2016, 2020) and “Aromatherapie in Wissenschaft und Praxis” (Stadelmann Verlag, 2013, 2023).
Gerhard Buchbauer has held positions in several scientific organizations, including IFEAT, ÖGwA, AG Lebensmittelchemie, GÖCH, ISEO, ICEOFF, ICEIRM, Forum Cosmeticum, and others, and was also a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Essential Oil Research, the Flavour and Fragrance Journal, the Journal of Essential Oil-Bearing Plants, and the International Journal of Essential Oil Therapeutics. In 1992, he received the IFEAT Medal Lecture Award.
He initially visited ISEO in 1985 and since then returned every year from 1987 till 2016, serving on the ISEO PSC from 1996-2016. In 1996, he co-organized the 27th ISEO in Vienna and served as a senior adviser for the 50th ISEO ibid in 2019.
Professor Ana Cristina Figueiredo
Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, CE3C,
Lisboa, Portugal
Ana Cristina Figueiredo is full Professor at the Departamento de Biologia Vegetal da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa (FCUL), and head of the plant biotechnology group at the Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C) and Global Change and Sustainability Institute (CHANGE).
As a professor at FCUL, she is involved in several Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctorate courses, and is, or was, responsible for supervising Internships, Master’s Degrees and Scientific Research Fellows. She was, or is, responsible for supervising national and foreign PhD Students and is the co-author of pedagogical publications. She has been engaged in knowledge transfer, by being, since 2014, head of the Technical Committee for Standardization 5 (CT5), Essential Oils, in Portugal, coordinated by the Instituto Português de Qualidade (IPQ).
The scientific activity has focused on the areas of plant biotechnology, and phytochemistry, being involved, in intra- and inter-institutional national and international collaborations, in diverse topics of plant biotechnology research. She has been involved in securing funding through over 30 projects of different types. These studies led to over 200 publications on peer-reviewed journals, 46 on conference proceedings, 16 book chapters, in addition to participations in national and international conferences.
Medal Sponsor
Merck