Kurt Freund Ruf

Kurt Freund Ruf
EducationUniversity of the Pacific (M.S., 1969)
OccupationsChemist, businessman, academic, columnist
Known forRector of UPACIFICO (2017–2021); president of the Ecuadorian–Israeli Chamber of Innovation and Commerce (since 2021)

Kurt Freund Ruf is an Ecuadorian chemist, businessman and academic. He was Rector of the Universidad del Pacífico from 2017 to 2021[1][2] and has served since 2021 as president of the Ecuadorian–Israeli Chamber of Innovation and Commerce (CICEI).[3][4] He is a columnist for the newspaper El Comercio.[5] Early in his career he was a co-author, with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate Derek Barton, of the total synthesis of bikaverin, published in 1976.[6]

Education and early research

Freund's master's thesis at the University of the Pacific (1969) concerned palladium complexes of cyclic amino acids.[7] He was a co-author, in the research group of Derek H. R. Barton (the 1969 Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate), of the paper "Total Synthesis of Bikaverin", published in 1976 in the Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1, with a preliminary communication in Chemical Communications in 1975.[6][8] Bikaverin is a fungal metabolite with antibiotic and pigment properties.[6]

Academic career

He was Rector of the Universidad del Pacífico (UPACIFICO), an institution with campuses in Quito, Guayaquil and the Galápagos Islands.[1][9] As rector he gave talks on disruptive technologies and management, including a 2020 lecture at the University of Azuay.[10] His later research addressed green chemistry, the circular economy and renewable energy; between 2019 and 2020 he co-wrote articles on these topics in UPACIFICO's journal Carácter.[11][12]

Energy sector

He has commented publicly on Ecuador's energy policy, arguing for the inclusion of biomass and geothermal energy in the national electricity plan[13] and for developing green hydrogen as an export product.[14] He has been a board member of the Chamber of Energy of Ecuador (CEDE)[15] and president of the board of the company HJ Becdach.[13] In November 2023 he was president of the board of the Quito Electric Company (EEQ).[16]

Ecuadorian–Israeli Chamber of Innovation and Commerce

In 2021, Freund was appointed president of the Ecuadorian–Israeli Chamber of Innovation and Commerce (CICEI), created to develop ties between Ecuador and Israel in commerce, investment and education.[3][17] In that role he promoted foreign investment and the transfer of Israeli technology, and noted that Ecuadorian exports to Israel were small compared with those of other countries in the region.[4] In 2022 the chamber took part in President Guillermo Lasso's official visit to Israel.[18]

Opinion journalism

He is a columnist for El Comercio, writing on economics, technology and modernization.[5]

Publications

Books

  • El Mundo en que Vivirán Nuestros Hijos (2021), with Ana Lucía Yánez de Escobar.[2]
  • Ensayos sobre la Libertad (2025), co-editor and author of the chapter "¿Qué es la Libertad?".[19]

Scientific articles

  • D. H. R. Barton, L. Cottier, K. Freund, F. Luini, P. D. Magnus and I. Salazar (1976). "Total Synthesis of Bikaverin". J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 1, 499–503.[6]
  • Co-authored articles on green chemistry and the circular economy in the journal Carácter (2019–2020).[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Rector de Universidad del Pacífico de Ecuador visitó Santo Tomás Temuco" (in Spanish). Santo Tomás (Chile). 15 April 2019. Archived from the original on 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 "El mundo de nuestros hijos" (in Spanish). Universidad del Azuay. 2021. Archived from the original on 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 "Kurt Freund: Fomentar que la innovación y la tecnología de Israel sean incorporadas a Ecuador". El Universo (in Spanish). 9 December 2021. Archived from the original on 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Kurt Freund: 'Ecuador está abierto a la inversión israelí'". Revista Líderes (in Spanish). December 2021. Archived from the original on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Kurt Freund Ruf — Columnist". El Comercio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 1 June 2025. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Barton, D. H. R.; Cottier, L.; Freund, K.; Luini, F.; Magnus, P. D.; Salazar, I. (1976). "Total synthesis of bikaverin (6,11-dihydroxy-3,8-dimethoxy-1-methylbenzo[b]xanthen-7,10,12-trione)". Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 1 (5): 499–503. doi:10.1039/P19760000499. PMID 943408. Archived from the original on 2026-06-03. Retrieved 2026-06-03.
  7. ↑ "Kurt Freund — Research profile". Archived from the original on 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  8. ↑ Barton, D. H. R.; Cottier, L.; Freund, K. (1975). "Synthesis of bikaverin". Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications (15): 646a. doi:10.1039/C3975000646A.
  9. ↑ "Universidad del Pacífico". United Nations Academic Impact. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Talk about new technologies and companies". Universidad del Azuay. 13 December 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Kurt Freund". Google Scholar. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Editorial team — Revista Carácter" (in Spanish). Universidad del Pacífico. Archived from the original on 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Sugieren incorporar biomasa y geotermia al Plan Maestro de Electricidad de Ecuador" (in Spanish). Energía Estratégica. 27 May 2020. Archived from the original on 26 September 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  14. ↑ "El hidrógeno verde debe formar parte incuestionable de la futura planificación energética de Ecuador" (in Spanish). Energía Estratégica. 15 July 2021. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  15. ↑ "Miembros del directorio" (in Spanish). Cámara de Energía del Ecuador (CEDE). Archived from the original on 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  16. ↑ "Empresa Eléctrica Quito celebra sus 68 años de vida institucional" (in Spanish). Empresa Eléctrica Quito. November 2023. Archived from the original on 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  17. ↑ "Cámara de Innovación y Comercio Ecuador-Israel busca afianzar comercio, innovación y educación" (in Spanish). Cámara Marítima del Ecuador (CAMAE). 1 December 2021. Archived from the original on 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Seguridad, innovación e inversión, 'platos fuertes' del viaje de Guillermo Lasso a Israel". La Hora (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
  19. ↑ "Ensayos sobre la Libertad" (PDF) (in Spanish). Universidad Espíritu Santo (UEES). 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2026. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
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