Chérif F. Matta, BPharmSci, Dipl., PhD, HDR, FRSA, FRSB, FInstP, FRSC (UK), FCIC, FAAS, FAAAS, is Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Physics at Mount Saint Vincent University, and an Adjunct (Honorary) Professor at Université Laval, Saint Mary’s University, and Dalhousie University. He is a frequent visiting Professor Zewail City of Science and Technology.

Matta uses theory, mathematical modeling, and computational methods to explore problems at the intersection of chemistry, physics and biology – research that spans quantum chemistry, mitochondrial biophysics, astrochemistry, and quantum crystallography. Chérif Matta is credited (with others) for the discovery of hydrogen–hydrogen bonding, the introduction of electron localization–delocalization matrices (LDMs), fundamental insights into the role of mitochondrial ATP synthase in cellular bioenergetics, and for contributing to the discoveries of new regularities in the diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs). This body of work appears in more than 200 publications, including four books, with over 10,000 citations, and has been disseminated in over 270 invited lectures in more than 40 countries.

For his work, Chérif F. Matta’s ranks among the top 0.26% of scientists worldwide across all disciplines according to ScholarGPS and among the “Best Scientists” according to Research.com. He has been elected as “Fellow” of seven distinguished academies and societies, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the African Academy of Sciences, the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Biology, and the Royal Society of Arts. For his work, Dr. Matta is the recipient of the 2025 McMaster University Distinguished Alumni (Science) Award, he is a Finalist for the Professional of Distinction for 2025 (Discovery Center, Halifax, NS), he was named Excellence Initiative – Distinguished Visiting Professor by the Minister of Science and Higher Education of Poland (2023-2025), he was selected as the 2021 Science Atlantic Notable Scientist Speaker of the Year (Chemistry), he received the Research Excellence Award from Mount Saint Vincent University in 2017, he was named “Lady Davis Fellow and Visiting Professor” in 2016-2017, he recievd the 2016 NSERC/CRSNG-Acfas “prevue par l’image” Prize, the Molecular Graphics and Molecular Simulation Society (MGMS) Silver Jubilee Prize of the Molecular Graphics and Molecular Simulation Society in 2009, and the John C. Polanyi Prize in Chemistry in 2014.

Matta has chaired or served on major national and international committees, including the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Interdisciplinary Adjudication Committee (as Chair of the Adjudication Committee), the Canada Excellence Research Chairs (CERC) Selection Committee, and commissions of the International Union of Crystallography. Matta has recently served (2021-2024) as Director of Accreditation & Member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC). He has been a member of several Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada (NSERC) adjudication panels, a Member of the College of Reviewers of Digital Research Alliance of Canada (the Alliance), and that of the African Academy of Sciences. He has also recently served as a Member of the Comité multidisciplinaire de Microbiologie/Virologie of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT). Matta is an elected Member of the Commission on Quantum Crystallography of the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr) and also serves as a Member of the Canadian National Committee for Crystallography (CNCC).

Beyond his scientific work, Matta is active in public outreach through media appearances, bilingual science communication, and his YouTube series A Conversation with a Scientist. He is also an avid advocate for integrating art and science in exhibitions and conferences.

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ADVOCACY FOR THE FRENCH LANGUAGE UTILIZATION IN SCIENCE IN CANADA

Chérif Matta is passionate about the role of the French language in science in bilingual Canada. For examples of his dedication to this cause, please see a video of Matta’s testimonial in front of the Canadian Parliament, his recent radio interview, a conference he co-organized on theoretical chemistry in Latin languages, his many talks/round tables at Acfas conferences on the role of the French Language in science, an example of his publications on the subject, an example of an original scientific publication he published in French, his participation in french-science competitions in Canada (winning the 2016 Preuve par l’image Acfas-NSERC Prize), or his service as a Member of the Evaluation Commitee 02B (Biologie moléculaire et cellulaire) of the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies (FRQNT).

Updated  September 2025

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A superimposition of the electron density contours of a Guanine-Cytosine DNA base pair in the molecular plane and lines of the gradient of this density. The density is partitioned into color-coded “atoms-in-molecules (AIM)”, each containing a single nucleus.(Click on image to enlarge).