Slovensko:
Boris Žemva se je rodil junija 1940 v Ljubljani, Slovenija. Doktoriral je leta 1971 na Fakulteti za kemijo in kemijsko tehnologijo na Univerzi v Ljubljani. Leta 1983 je diplomiral iz ekonomije na Visoki-ekonomsko komercialni šoli v Mariboru. Njegova prva akademska zaposlitev je bila na Odseku za kemijo fluora na Institutu Jožef Stefan, kjer je pokazal izredno zanimanje za anorgansko kemijo fluora s posebnim poudarkom na kemiji žlahtnih plinov. V šolskem letu 1972- 1973 je bil na postdoktorskem izpopolnjevanju na Kalifornijski Univerzi, Berkeley pod mentorstvom prof. Neila Bartletta.

Delo profesorja Žemve je bilo večkrat opaženo in tudi nagrajeno. Tako je dobil dve Fulbraightovi nagradi za pot v ZDA (1972, 1978), Kidričevo nagrado (predhodnica Zoisove nagrade) za vrhunske dosežke na področju anorganske kemije, povabilo za gostujočega profesorja na Kalifornijsko Univerzo v Berkeley (Miller Visiting Professor) 1993, povabilo za gostujočega profesorja na Institut de Chimie de la Matiére Condensée de Bordeaux, Pessac, France, 1997. V letu 1999 je dobil prestižno Alexander von Humboldt Research Award, Nemčija, v letu 2001 je bil izvoljen za Ambasadorja Republike Slovenije v znanosti. Leta 2006 je kot četrti Evropejec dobil nagrado Ameriškega kemijskega društva (ACS) za kreativno delo na področju kemije fluora. Leta 2010 je bil izvoljen v Evropsko akademijo znanosti. Leta 2011 pa je dobil Zoisovo nagrado za življenjsko delo na področju anorganske kemije fluora.

English:
Boris Žemva was born in June 1940 in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He completed his PhD at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia in 1971. He obtained Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1983 from the High Economic- Commercial School, University of Maribor. His first academic appointment was at the Department of Fluorine Chemistry at the Jožef Stefan Institute where he first developed his interest in inorganic fluorine chemistry, in particular the chemistry of noble gases. In the school year 1972-1973 he was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley with Professor Neil Bartlett as his supervisor.

The work of Professor Žemva has been recognized by two Fulbright travel grants (1972, 1978 to Berkeley); with the Boris Kidrič Award for exceptional achievements in inorganic chemistry; invitation as a “Visiting Miller Professor” at Berkeley (1993); and as Visiting Professor at the Institut de Chimie de la Matiére Condensée de Bordeaux, Pessac, France, 1997. Since 1996 he is a Full Member of the Engineering Academy of Slovenia. In 1999 he won an A. v. Humboldt Research Award, Germany. In 2001 he was appointed as Ambassador of Science of the Republic of Slovenia. He was conferred, as the fourth European, ACS (American Chemical Society) Award for creative work in fluorine chemistry (2006). He was elected in the European Academy of Sciences, Liege, Belgium in 2010 and obtained Zois Award for the life achievements in inorganic fluorine chemistry in 2011.