Dear Colleagues,

As the Editor-in-Chief of Coatings, it is my great pleasure to announce the winner of the Coatings 2021 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize was aimed to be granted to a PhD student or a doctor who has produced a highly anticipated academic potential thesis.

The award has been granted to the following:
Biomaterial Strategies to Promote Hemidesmosome Formation on Percutaneous Devices
By Dr. Nicholas Fischer
Minnesota Dental Research Center for Biomaterials and Biomechanics, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, 16-212 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA

The winner will receive a bonus of CHF 500, a certificate, and a chance to publish a paper with the article processing charge (APC) waived in Coatings in 2022.

On behalf of the Assessment Committee, I would like to congratulate the winner on his accomplishments. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the nominated research groups of the above, exceptional thesis for their contributions to Coatings and the Award Committee for voting and helping with this award.

Dr. Alessandro Lavacchi
Editor-in-Chief, Coatings