The IAU PhD Prize recognises the outstanding scientific achievement in astronomy by PhD students around the world. Each of the IAU’s nine divisions awards a prize to the candidate it feels has carried out the most remarkable work in the previous year and the nine divisions together also agree on awarding an extra prize, the PhD at-large Prize.

The IAU Executive Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 IAU PhD Prizes as follows:

• Division A Fundamental Astronomy: no candidates.
• Division B Facilities, Technologies and Data Science: Niels Ligterink, Netherlands, male, The Astrochemical Factory: A solid base for interstellar reactions
• Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage: no candidates
• Division D High Energy Phenomena and Fundamental Physics: Laura Becerra, Colombia, female, Accretion in Compact Stars: Hypercritical Accretion in the Induced Gravitational Collapse and the Post-Merger Evolution of White Dwarfs Mergers
• Division E Sun and Heliosphere: Jenna Samra, USA, female, An Airborne Infrared Spectrometer for Coronal Observations: Development, Characterization, and First Science Results from the 2017 Solar Eclipse
• Division F Planetary Systems and Bioastronomy: Tim Lichtenberg, Switzerland, male, Thermal Evolution of Forming Planets: Isotope Enrichment, Differentiation & Volatile Retention
• Division G Stars and Stellar Physics: Adam Jermyn, UK, male, Turbulence and Transport in Stars and Planets
• Division H Interstellar Matter and Local Universe: Meriem El Yajouri, Morocco, female, Diffuse Interstellar absorption Bands: a new look at an old problem
• Division J Galaxies and Cosmology: Jorryt Matthee, Netherlands, male, Identifying the origin of galaxy formation
• PhD at-large Prize: Gopal Hazra, India, male, Understanding the behaviour of the Sun’s large scale magnetic field and its relation with the meridional flow

The recipient of each award receives a range of prizes, tailored by each Division at their own discretion. All recipients will receive airfare, registration fee and accommodation to attend the next IAU General Assembly, to be held in 2021 in South Korea, where certificates will be awarded. Other prizes may include the opportunity to present their thesis work at Division Days, as well as special treatment at the General Assembly such as an invitation to attend presentations to the IAU Executive Committee, dinner, and the possibility of presenting a talk at either a plenary or special session.

Also, Springer has offered to nominate all IAU PhD Prize Winners 2018 for a Springer Thesis Award.

This opportunity is extended annually to a limited number of high-ranking university research departments and societies in the physical sciences and engineering. The award itself comprises a monetary prize of €500 and publication of the work in the collection of outstanding dissertations Springer Theses. Over the past 8 years, this program has helped to disseminate the PhD research of nearly 1000 young scientists.

The IAU congratulates all of these winners, wishes them every success in their future careers, and looks forward to another set of high-quality applications for next year’s award.

The 2019 round is open for submissions until 15 December 2019; the next set of winners will be announced in spring 2020. Candidates are required to submit, among other items, an abstract of their thesis that is suitable for public dissemination, a 1500-word thesis summary, three letters of recommendation (including one from the PhD advisor) and a CV. The winner of each Division will be decided by the Division’s own standards and methods and guided by the Division Steering Committee. Theses must have been both submitted and defended by the prize deadline in order to be considered.

More information

The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 13 500 professional astronomers from more than 100 countries worldwide. Its mission is to promote and safeguard astronomy in all its aspects, including research, communication, education and development, through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.

Links

• PhD Prize to Recognise Excellence in Astrophysics webpage
• Application form
• Official announcement about the IAU PhD Prize

Contacts

Madeleine Smith-Spanier
IAU Database Manager
Paris, France
Tel: +33 1 43 25 83 58
Email: smith@iap.fr

Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Garching bei München, Germany
Tel: +49 89 320 06 761
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org