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Cerri. Chem Synth 2023;3:18 Chemical Synthesis
DOI: 10.20517/cs.2022.37

Opinion Open Access

Information, knowledge, and human learning for

chemistry: the visionary contribution of Professor
Alain Krief

Stefano A. Cerri 1,2

1
LIRMM, Laboratory of Informatics, Robotics and Microelectronics of Montpellier, University of Montpellier, Montpellier F-
34095, France.
2
Digital Knowledge Technologies Services (DKTS) SRL, Via Ampère 61/a, Milan 20131, Italy.
Correspondence to: Prof. Stefano A. Cerri. LIRMM, Laboratory of Informatics, Robotics and Microelectronics of Montpellier,
University of Montpellier, 161 Rue Ada, Montpellier F-34095, France. E-mail: cerri@lirmm.fr; VP. Digital Knowledge Technologies
Services (DKTS) SRL, Via Ampère 61/a, Milan 20131, Italy. E-mail: sacerri@didaelkts.it

How to cite this article: Cerri SA. Information, knowledge, and human learning for chemistry: the visionary contribution of
Professor Alain Krief. Chem Synth 2023;3:18. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/cs.2022.37
Received: 29 Nov 2022 First Decision: 9 Mar 2023 Revised: 21 Mar 2023 Accepted: 22 Mar 2023 Published: 10 Apr 2023

Academic Editor: Bao-Lian Su Copy Editor: Ke-Cui Yang Production Editor: Ke-Cui Yang

Abstract
This is not a paper about the current state of chemistry but rather the author’s perspective on a strategy for the
future of chemistry and other scientific and technical disciplines. This future vision is based on synergies of natural
sciences and technical disciplines on one side and the science of information, i.e., informatics, on the other. It
relates the author’s interactions during 2003-2023 in professional collaborations with Alain Krief, now Emeritus
Professor at the University of Namur. It is argued that the scientific value of Prof. Krief’s work - particularly related
to his well-known interest in “chemical knowledge transfer” - extends beyond the scientific-technical domain of
chemistry to include a much broader area of natural sciences and associated technologies. Prof. Krief’s signal
contribution has resulted from his profound interest in information, knowledge, and human learning, which has
been at the core of our exchanges during the last 20 years.

Keywords: Information, knowledge, human learning, interaction, agents, collective intelligence

THE EMERGENCE OF INFORMATICS AS A NATURAL SCIENCE
Natural sciences can and should seek to answer questions about the essential elements (components,

© The Author(s) 2023. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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