All news about scientific awards, prizes and appointments

Immanuel Bloch, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and Chair of Experimental Physics at Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, has been elected as an international member of the National Academy of Sciences. Appointment to the NAS is one of the highest distinctions a scientist can receive – its members are considered luminaries in their respective fields. more

On the evening of April 9, 2025, the Free State of Bavaria awarded its new Hightech Prizes for the first time, across four categories. Recipient of the “Hightech Prize of the Bavarian Prime Minister” is MPQ Director Immanuel Bloch, honored for his pioneering work in experimental quantum sciences, particularly in the study of quantum many-body systems. The award includes a prize of €300,000, which is to be reinvested into research. more

For over a decade, Dr Silke Stähler-Schöpf has led the MPQ Student Lab PhotonLab with impressive success: this year alone, around 3, 000 students visited the PhotonLab to explore experiments on lasers, light, and quantum physics. For her extensive contributions to physics education and outreach, Silke Stähler-Schöpf receives the 2025 Georg-Kerschensteiner Prize, awarded annually by the German Physical Society.
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The LMU Center for NanoScience and four LMU spin-off companies present the Nano Innovation Award for particularly innovative doctoral theses. Andreas Gritsch, who completed his doctorate in the Otto Hahn Group Quantum Networks at MPQ, won second place. The physicist built a novel platform for quantum networks that has significant potential for the development of scalable quantum network nodes. more

The physicist from the Department of Laser Spectroscopy at MPQ has measured electronic transitions in deuterium with unprecedented precision. The prize, named after the Nobel Prize winner and pioneer of laser spectroscopy, honours particularly outstanding and ground-breaking dissertations in the field of physics. In his work, Vitaly Wirthl succeeded in measuring a specific energy transition in deuterium, the heavy hydrogen, more precisely than ever before. more

The experimental physicist receives the distinction for her pioneering work in molecular spectroscopy with interfering frequency combs. Named in honour of the eponymous scientist’s contributions to spectroscopy and metrology, the William F. Meggers Award was established in 1970 by Optica. Nathalie Picqué was presented with the award on 7 May 2024 at the CLEO Conference in Charlotte (NC), USA. more

Being elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences is regarded as one of the most distinguished honours a scientist can receive. While the majority of members hold U.S. citizenship, up to 30 international members are elected annually. NAS members are “charged with providing independent, objective advice on matters related to science and technology”. more

His work on the principles and applications of quantum physics, such as in quantum information theory or the simulation of complex many-body systems, as well as his overall scientific achievements would contribute to revolutionising the world as we know it today, explained the university. It is the ninth honorary doctorate that Ignacio Cirac has been awarded to date. more