{"id":63,"date":"2025-08-01T08:06:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T07:06:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.fusion.ciemat.es\/eps\/?page_id=63"},"modified":"2026-04-01T09:23:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T08:23:06","slug":"phd-research-award","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/plasma.ciemat.es\/eps\/awards\/phd-research-award\/","title":{"rendered":"PhD Research Award"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

European Physical Society Plasma Physics Division PhD Research Awards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Plasma Physics Division of the European Physical Society (EPS) grants annually up to four prizes to young scientists from the 38 European countries associated with the EPS in recognition of truly outstanding research achievements associated with their PhD study in the broad field of plasma physics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nominations for the 2027 awards will open in late 2026. Nomination instructions and a description of the selection procedure can be found here<\/a>; the nomination form itself is here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Previous award winners<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Year<\/td>Winner(s)<\/td><\/tr>
2026<\/td>Pablo Bilbao<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(University of Lisbon, Portugal) for his thesis \u201cKinetic instabilities in extreme plasma physics: laboratory and astrophysical dynamics\u201d
Daniel Fajardo<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(Ludwig-Maximilians \u2013 University of Munich, Germany) for his thesis \u201cTheory-based integrated modelling of impurity transport in tokamaks\u201d
Alan Goodman<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(University of Greifswald, Germany) for his thesis \u201cQuasi-isodynamic stellarator optimisation\u201d
Jessica Schleitzer<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>(Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany) for her thesis \u201cPlasma structure and dynamics in dual-frequency discharges: a multi-diagnostic approach from bulk to sheath\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
2025<\/td>Robert J. Ewart<\/strong> (University of Oxford,UK) for his thesis \u201cUniversal equilibria, phase-space structure of collisionless plasma systems, and turbulence in non-Maxwellian plasmas\u201d
Benedikt Zimmermann<\/strong> (Technical University of Munich, Germany) for his thesis \u201cValidation of Momentum Transport Theory in the Core Plasma of the ASDEX Upgrade Tokamak\u201d
Li Wang<\/strong> (Ruhr University Bochum, Germany) for her thesis \u201cProcess control in low pressure capacitive radio frequency plasmas based on kinetic simulations\u201d
Henri Kumpulainen<\/strong> (Aalto University, Espoo, Finland) for his thesis \u201cValidation of tungsten erosion and transport simulations in tokamaks\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
2024<\/td>Lucas Rovige<\/strong> (Institut Polytechnique de Paris, France) for his thesis \u201cOptimization, stabilization and optical phase control of a high-repetition rate laser-wakefield accelerator\u201c
Baptiste Frei<\/strong> (\u00c9cole Polytechnique F\u00e9d\u00e9ral de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland) for his thesis \u201cA Gyrokinetic Moment Model of the Plasma Boundary in Fusion Devices\u201c
Toby Adkins<\/strong> (University of Oxford, UK) for his thesis \u201cElectromagnetic instabilities and plasma turbulence driven by the electron-temperature gradient\u201c
Mathias Hoppe<\/strong> (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden) for his thesis \u201cRunaway-electron model development and validation in tokamaks\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
2023<\/td>Luis Gil<\/strong> (Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal) for his thesis on \u201cStationary ELM-free H-mode in ASDEX Upgrade\u201d
\nMaurizio Giacomin<\/strong> (Swiss Plasma Center, EPLF, Lausanne, Switzerland) for his thesis on \u201cTurbulent transport regimes in the tokamak boundary\u201d
\nLivio Verra<\/strong> (Technical University Munich, Germany) for his thesis on \u201cElectron Bunch Seeding of the Self-Modulation Instability in Plasma\u201d
\nDavid Hosking<\/strong> (University of Oxford, UK) for his thesis on \u201cThe decay of MHD turbulence and the primordial origin of magnetic fields in cosmic voids\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
2022<\/td>Plamen Ivanov<\/strong> (University of Oxford, UK) for his thesis on \u201cZonally dominated dynamics and the transition to strong turbulence in ion-scale plasma turbulence\u201d
\nAlexis Marret<\/strong> (Sorbonne University & Observatoire de Paris-PSL, France) for his thesis on \u201cThe non-resonant streaming instability: from theory to experiment\u201d
\nValeria Perseo<\/strong> (University of Greifswald) for her thesis on \u201cImpurity flow measurements with Coherence Imaging Spectroscopy at Wendelstein 7-X\u201d
\nMartina Salvadori<\/strong> (University of Rome “La Sapienza\u201d) for her thesis on \u201cAdvanced time-of-flight diagnostics for real-time characterization of ions accelerated by high energy lasers\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
2021<\/td>Audrey Chatain<\/strong> (Universit\u00e9 Paris-Saclay, France) for her thesis on \u201cAerosols-plasma interaction in Titan\u2019s ionosphere\u201d
\nAlexandra Dudkovskaia<\/strong> (University of York, United Kingdom) for her thesis on \u201cModelling neoclassical tearing modes in tokamak plasmas\u201d
\nMario Galletti<\/strong> (University of Lisbon, Portugal) for his thesis on \u201cHigh contrast front-end for a petawatt laser system designed for electron acceleration & High intensity laser-matter applications towards advanced compact particle accelerators\u201d
\nAndrea Pavone<\/strong> (Technical University of Berlin) for his thesis on \u201cMachine learning approximation of bayesian inference in nuclear fusion\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
2020<\/td>Archie Bott<\/strong> (University of Oxford) for his thesis on “Magnetic-field amplification in turbulent laser-plasmas”
\nBart Ripperda<\/strong> (KU Leuven University) for his thesis on “On magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration in relativistic plasmas”
\nKevin Verhaegh<\/strong> (University of York) for his thesis on “Spectroscopic investigations of detachment on TCV: Investigating the role of atomic physics on the ion current rollover and the dynamics of detachment in TCV “
\nRog\u00e9rio Jorge<\/strong> (EPFL and University of Lisbon) for his thesis on “A moment-based model for plasma dynamics of arbitrary collisionality”<\/td><\/tr>
2019<\/td>Giada Cantono<\/strong> (Universit\u00e9 Paris-Saclay and Universit\u00e0 di Pisa) for her thesis on \u201cRelativistic plasmonics for ultra-short radiation sources\u201d
\nEleanor Tubman<\/strong> (University of York) for her thesis on \u201cMagnetic field generation in laser-plasma interactions\u201d
\nFrancisco Javier Artola Such<\/strong> (Universit\u00e9 Aix-Marseille) for his thesis on \u201cFree-boundary simulations of MHD plasma instabilities in tokamaks\u201d
\nMichael Faitsch<\/strong> (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universit\u00e4t M\u00fcnchen) for his thesis on \u201cDivertor Power Load Studies at ASDEX Upgrade and TCV\u201d<\/td><\/tr>
2018<\/td>Matteo Falessi<\/strong> (Roma Tre University) for his thesis on “Gyrokinetic theory for particle transport in fusion plasmas”
\nJack Hare<\/strong> (Imperial College London) for his thesis on “High energy density magnetic reconnection experiments in colliding carbon plasma flows”
\nAdrien Leblanc<\/strong> (University of Paris-Saclay) for his thesis on “Plasma mirrors and plasma gratings under ultra-intense laser illumination: high-order harmonic generation, and relativistic electron beams”
\nWei Zhang<\/strong> (Ghent University) for his thesis on “Plasma edge modeling with ICRF coupling”<\/td><\/tr>
2017<\/td>Justin Ball<\/strong> (Oxford University, UK) for his study of the effect of plasma boundary shape on driving intrinsic rotation in the tokamak, and more generally on the confinement properties
\nLuca Fedeli<\/strong> (Pisa University, Italy) for his study of surface plasmons, which are excited by intense laser pulses at a vacuum-plasma interface
\nToon Weyens<\/strong> (Univ. Carlos III de Madrid, Spain, and Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands) for his study of a key aspect of toroidal plasma stability, the effects of non-axisymmetric fields on peeling-ballooning stability<\/td><\/tr>
2016<\/td>Bastien Bruneau<\/strong> (LPICM, FR) for his PhD thesis on the Control of radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma asymmetries using Tailored Voltage Waveforms<\/em>
\nArnaud Colaitis<\/strong> (CELIA, FR) for his PhD thesis on a multiscale description of the Laser-Plasma Interaction, application to the physics of shock ignition in Inertial Confinement Fusion<\/em>
\nNatasha Jeffrey<\/strong> (U. Glasgow, UK) for her PhD thesis on the spatial, spectral and polarization properties of solar flare X-ray sources<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
2015<\/td>Bruno Albertazzi<\/strong> (LULI, France) for his PhD thesis on Plasmas Lasers et Champs Magn\u00e9tiques<\/em>
\nJoaquim Loizu<\/strong> (EPFL, Switzerland) for his PhD thesis on The role of the sheath in magnetized plasma turbulence and flows<\/em>
\nMichael Rack<\/strong> (D\u00fcsseldorf Univ., Germay) for his PhD thesis on Influence of resonant magnetic perturbations on transient heat load deposition and fast ion losses<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
2014<\/td>Edmund Highcock<\/strong> (Oxford Univ., UK) for his PhD thesis on The zero turbulence manifold of fusion plasmas  <\/em><\/td><\/tr>
2013<\/td>Frederico Fi\u00faza<\/strong> (IST, Portugal) for his PhD thesis on Multi-scale PIC modeling of high energy density scenarios: from laboratory to astrophysics<\/em>
\nElena Nedanovska<\/strong> (QUB, UK) for her PhD thesis on Thomson scattering from technological plasmas<\/em>
\nLidia Piron<\/strong> (Padua, Italy) for her PhD thesis on Improved feedback control of MHD instabilities and error fields in reversed-field pinch and tokamak<\/em>
\nIstv\u00e1n Pusztai<\/strong> (Chalmers, Sweden) for his thesis Turbulent and neoclassical transport in tokamak plasmas<\/em>
\nEditorial<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
2012<\/td>Bart Hennen<\/strong> (TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands) for his PhD thesis on Feedback control for magnetic island suppression in tokamaks<\/em>
\nFr\u00e9d\u00e9ric P\u00e9rez<\/strong> (LULI, France) for his PhD thesis on Study of supra thermal electron transport in solid or compressed matter for the fast-ignitor scheme<\/em>
\nJochen Waskoenig<\/strong> (Queen’s University of Belfast, UK) for his PhD thesis on Numerical simulations of the electron dynamics in single and dual radio-frequency driven atmospheric pressure plasmas and associated plasma chemistry in electro-negative He-O2 mixtures<\/em>
\nEditorial<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
2011<\/td>Stefan Kneip<\/strong> (Imperial College London, UK) for his PhD thesis on Laser Plasma Accelerator and Wiggler<\/em>
\nFelix Julian Schulze<\/strong> (Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany) for his PhD thesis on Electron heating in capacitively coupled radio frequency discharges<\/em>
\nMierk Schwabe<\/strong> (Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestial Physics, Germany) for her PhD thesis on Dynamical effects in fluid complex plasmas<\/em>
\nEditorial<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
2010<\/td>Xavier Davoine<\/strong> (LOA, France) for his PhD thesis on Acc\u00e9l\u00e9ration de particules par interaction laser-plasma dans le r\u00e9gime relativiste<\/em>
\nGuilhem Dif-Pradalier<\/strong> (CEA\/IRFM, France) for his PhD thesis on First principle description of collisional gyrokinetic turbulence in tokamak plasmas<\/em>
\nEmeric Falize<\/strong> (CEA\/DIF, France) and B\u00e9r\u00e9nice Loupias<\/strong> (LULI, France) for their complementary PhD thesis on, respectively Similitudes et autosimilarit\u00e9 en physique des hautes densit\u00e9s d\u2019\u00e9nergie : Application \u00e0 l\u2019astrophysique de laboratoire<\/em> and Etude exp\u00e9rimentale de la formation et de la propagation de jets de plasma cr\u00e9\u00e9es par un laser de puissance : application \u00e0 l’astrophysique de laboratoire<\/em>
\nPeter Manz<\/strong> (Stuttgart University, Germany) for his PhD thesis on Structure formation in drift-wave turbulence<\/em>
\nEditorial<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
2009<\/td>Cedric Thaury<\/strong> (CEA\/IRAMIS, France) for his PhD thesis on G\u00e9n\u00e9ration d’harmoniques d’ordres \u00e9lev\u00e9s sur miroir plasma<\/em>
\nIan Chapman<\/strong> (UKAEA, UK) for his PhD thesis on Modelling the Stability of the n = 1 Internal Kink Mode in Tokamak Plasmas<\/em>
\nTilmann Lunt<\/strong> (IPP Garching, Germany) for his PhD thesis on Experimental Investigation of the Plasma-Wall Transition<\/em>
\nEditorial<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
2008<\/td>Ivo Classen<\/strong> (TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands) for his thesis Imaging and control of magnetic islands in tokamaks<\/em>
\nBrendan Dromey<\/strong> (Queen\u2019s University of Belfast, UK) for his thesis Bright soft X-ray harmonic radiation<\/em>
\nLouise Willingale<\/strong> (Imperial College London, UK) for her thesis Ion acceleration from high intensity laser plasma interactions: Measurements and applications<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
2007<\/td>Navid Mahdizadeh<\/strong> (Stuttgart University, Germany) for his PhD thesis on Investigation of three-dimensional turbulent structures in the torsatron TJ-K<\/em>
\nYannick Glinec<\/strong> (LOA, France) for his PhD thesis on Propagation of an ultra-intense laser pulse in an under-dense plasma: Production of quasi monoenergetic electron beams and development of applications<\/em>
\nOliver Arp<\/strong> (Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany) for his PhD thesis on Coulomb balls – structure and confinement of spherical dust crystals in a plasma<\/em>
\nAlexander G.R. Thomas<\/strong> (Imperial College London, UK) for his PhD thesis on Studies of laser propagation and mono-energetic electron beam injection in laser wakefield accelerators<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
2006<\/td>Stuart P.D. Mangles<\/strong> (Imperial College London, UK) for his PhD thesis on Measurements of Relativistic Electrons from Intense Laser Plasma Interaction<\/em>
\nKristel Cromb\u00e9<\/strong> (Ghent University, Belgium) for her PhD thesis on Spectroscopic Studies of Impurity Ion Dynamics on the JET and TEXTOR tokamaks<\/em>
\nPaolo Piovesan<\/strong> (Padova University, Italy) for his PhD thesis on Experimental MHD Studies of Enhanced Confinement Reversed-Field Pinch Plasmas<\/em>
\nBen Liesfeld<\/strong> (FSU Jena, Germany) for his PhD thesis on A Photon Collider at Relativistic Intensities<\/em><\/td><\/tr>
2005<\/td>Bruno Goncalves<\/strong> (IST, Portugal) for his PhD thesis on Statistical Properties of Turbulence: a New Approach to Characterize Transport in Fusion Plasmas<\/em>
Pavel Popovich<\/strong> (EPFL, Switzerland), for his PhD thesis on Low Frequency Electromagnetic Wave Propagation in 3D Plasma Configurations<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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