An ethnic Korean professor at the University of Toronto has won an award from the Canadian Society of Chemistry.

Jik Chin received this year's Bernard Belleau Award for his contribution to basic sciences such as biochemistry.

Born Chin Byung-jik, he developed a highly effective method of producing various chiral diamines for catalysis and for synthesis of bioactive materials.

He has served as a visiting professor at California Institute of Technology, the Institute for Molecular Science in Japan, Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea and Seoul National University.