Jülich Excellence Prize overview
Since 2009, Forschungszentrum Jülich is annually awarding the Jülich Excellence Prize – endowed with € 5.000 (before tax) – to internationally successful young scientists whose ideas have provided decisive stimulus in their area of research and who belong to the top 5% of their peers in their field.
The distinction is based on an outstanding doctoral thesis, the main parts of which were written at Forschungszentrum Jülich, combined with excellent achievements during the subsequent up to two years of the postdoctoral phase. Based on external expert opinions, a high-ranking jury – comprising four internal and four external professors – decides on the nominees’ worthiness for the prize in international comparison. The Jülich Excellence Prize can be awarded to a maximum of five early career scientists. However, it will be only awarded if a nominee’s scientific achievements are beyond doubt and it will be only awarded to the maximum number of researchers if five nominees meet the high standards.
The Jülich Excellence Prize winners 2023
Dr. Alexander van Meegen
Dr. Alexander van Meegen’s research focuses on how the brain processes information. In his doctoral thesis at INM-6, the 32-year-old physicist explored information processing in computational neuroscience: To this end, Dr. van Meegen used methods from statistical physics to study the vast, dynamic network in our heads to better understand how the billions of brain cells work together. The jury was impressed by the original and creative approach to his thesis.
Dr. Iulia Cojocariu
For her doctoral thesis at PGI-6, Dr. Iulia Cojocariu explored two-dimensional materials – metal-organic layers on coinage metal substrates – at the NanoESCA beamline in Trieste. The 30-year-old materials scientist selectively functionalized these interfaces, changing their electrical and magnetic properties. These “smart” materials could serve as electrical components or sensors in the future. With the Excellence Prize, the jury honored the originality of Dr. Cojocariu’s doctoral thesis and the high quality and extensive scientific output of her research.
Dr. Moritz L. Weber
The energy supply needs to become “green” – and hydrogen as an energy carrier is an important component in this regard. Thus, electrolyzers that split water into hydrogen and oxygen are required. This is where the now prize-winning research of materials scientist Dr. Moritz L. Weber comes into play: The 31-year-old researcher developed materials with sophisticated surface structures for low-cost, high-performance catalysts during his doctoral thesis as a collaborative doctoral researcher at PGI-7 and IEK-1. With the prize, the jury paid tribute to the broad range of Dr. Weber’s scientific findings.
More information on previous Jülich Excellence Prize winners you can find here: