Materials Research Prize for Young Investigators
The ETH Materials Research Prize for Young Investigators recognizes outstanding contributions of young investigators that advance materials, from fundamental to applied research. These contributions could include, for example: the discovery of new classes of materials, the observation of novel phenomena leading to either fundamentally new applications or insights, and work that substantially impacts our understanding or applications of existing materials and phenomena. The prize consists of CHF 10,000, a certificate citing the contribution of the recipient, and an allowance for travel to the ETH Materials Day at which the award is presented together with a keynote address by the prizewinner. The Materials Day is a biannual celebration at which the ETH Department of Materials presents its Research to Swiss academia, industry, and the public.
Establishment & Support
The prize has been established in order to emphasize the fundamental role young researchers play in advancing materials science, spanning fundamental and applied research. It is endowed by the ETH Department of Materials and will be awarded biannually.
Rules & Eligibility
The prize is open to scientists of all nationalities irrespective of where their work has been carried out. It is recommended that nominations are restricted to one per institution. To be eligible for the prize, the researcher should be an assistant professor (or an equivalent form of independent researcher) at the time of nomination.
Nomination & Selection Process
Deadline for nominations: The next prize will be awarded in connection to the Materials Day 2025, which is tentatively scheduled for November 2025. Hence expect a nomination deadine around May 2025, but feel free to send your proposals at any time before that. (You will get a chance for updates prior to the deadline.)
For the nomination, please send the following to the Head of Department, Prof. Pietro Gambardella, at .
- A letter of not more than two pages evaluating the qualifications of the nominee.
- A biographical sketch, including publication list.
- A list of the up to five most important publications.
- Two seconding letters by individuals not connected to the nominee through advising relationships.
The selection will be conducted by three tenured professors of the Department of Materials and the Head of Department.
Prize Winners
Sheng Xu, University of California San Diego, 2021 – He has made important contributions to the field of flexible electronics. Most recently, he invented a wearable ultrasonic technology that allows noninvasive monitoring of tissue far below the skin surface. He also developed new growth methods for materials used in flexible high-performance electronics.
Julia Mundy, Harvard University and Claudia Backes, University of Heidelberg, 2019 – Mundy (left) and Backes (right) were selected for their contributions to low-dimensional materials. Mundy designed and synthesized a long-sought material with coexisting magnetic and electric order at room temperature. To create this `multiferroic’ material, she stacked chemically distinct layers atop one another with atomic control. Backes invented a powerful processing technique to separate the layers of three-dimensional organic and inorganic materials into free floating sheets, which is transforming the study of two-dimensional materials.
Bozhi Tian, University of Chicago, 2017 – He pioneered new chemical reactivity in inorganic nanowires to gain control of their morphology and make them biocompatible. This work has enabled new bioelectric measurements within cells.