Best PhD Thesis Award

Launched in 2022, the Physchem Best PhD Thesis Award is annually presented to recognize young scholars who are judged to have completed the most outstanding PhD thesis in the field of physical chemistry and chemical physics, to encourage continuing their outstanding work and further contribution to their field. Applications for this award are open from January to October every year and the winners are announced in December.

The Prize:
– CHF 500;
– A certificate.

Number of Winners: 1

Physchem Best PhD Thesis Award

Application deadline: 31 October 2026Winner announcement date: 12 December 2026

Apply

Eligibility and Requirements

– The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced an outstanding PhD thesis;
– The PhD thesis must be their original work;
– The PhD thesis must be defended in 2026.

Required Application Documents

– An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words;
– A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
– The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis;
– An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
– A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student going to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Past Winners

Winner

FPFrancesco Paparoni
Francesco Paparoni
Synchrotron Soleil, France

Award Committee

Tsuyoshi Michinobu
Tsuyoshi Michinobu
Chairman
William Alexander
William Alexander
The University of Memphis, Department of Chemistry
José Antonio Odriozola
José Antonio Odriozola
Aggelos Avramopoulos
Aggelos Avramopoulos
University of Thessaly, Department of Physics
Sergei Manzhos
Sergei Manzhos