Applications are open for the 2024 Malvern Panalytical Scientific Award
Malvern Panalytical instruments support research worldwide, but we aim to provide more than just analytical solutions. For several years, Malvern Panalytical has been a hub for knowledge sharing, thanks to our knowledge center and popular events such as “Ask an Expert!” webinar series.
We’re always excited to see the great research that people are doing with our instruments, and we want to see it benefit not only our customers, but the scientific community as a whole. That’s why we created the Malvern Panalytical Scientific Award: to encourage and share the innovations achieved by outstanding research talent with as many people as possible.
And now, submissions for the 2024 edition of the Malvern Panalytical Scientific Award are open! We’re looking for outstanding published research by young scientists who have used one or more Malvern Panalytical products as part of their analysis. If you’d like to share your work with a wider audience – and get the chance to win a €2000 prize – here’s everything you need to know.
Who can apply?
To support early-career scientists, the first author of the research must be under the age of 35. To make sure the research is as exciting for everyone else as it is for us, we require that it be published or accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal with an impact factor of 3 or higher between October 1, 2022 and December 31, 2023.
However, there is no geographical requirement – as long as a Malvern Panalytical instrument is clearly mentioned and the publication is in English or translated into English, it can be considered for the award. You can even apply if your work has already won a similar award elsewhere!
Submissions that comply with these rules will be reviewed by a committee of scientists from Malvern Panalytical or appointed by Malvern Panalytical. They will first select a shortlist of the 10 best research articles, from which they will choose the best submission based on scientific merit and innovativeness of approach.
What kind of research topic can make it onto the shortlist?
From advanced materials characterization to innovations in biopharmaceuticals and industrial mining methods, the Scientific Awards Committee welcomes research from a wide variety of application areas. Last year’s shortlist included, for example, research from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on dual active drugs simultaneously targeting bacterial infections and cancerous cells, and research from the SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India, on liquid-phase exfoliation of few-layered graphene.
Last year’s winning research
The winner of the 2023 award was Dr. Rohan Pokratath of the University of Basel, Switzerland, now a scientist at Excelsus Structural Solutions. His research focused on the reaction mechanism of colloidal zirconia and hafnia nanocrystals synthesized from metal chloride and metal isopropoxide. While monodisperse colloidal nanocrystals are relatively easy to produce, a lack of understanding of the underlying chemistry has prevented the creation of more complex nanoparticles.
By using the Empyrean Nano Lab Edition to perform total X-ray scattering and pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, validating results obtained by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, Dr. Pokratath was able to identify the key mechanisms behind the aforementioned reaction and used this new mechanistic insight to adapt the synthesis of ZrO2 and HfO2, optimizing yield and gaining control over nanocrystal size.
Dr. Pokratath’s innovative combination of analytical techniques provided greater insight into the underlying chemistry of colloidal nanocrystals, enabling the rational design and synthesis of complex oxide nanocrystals.
A unique opportunity to promote your research
Winning the award or being shortlisted comes with an additional requirement, but one we hope will be exciting for new scientific talent. The authors of the top 10 submissions will be asked to present their research to a Malvern Panalytical audience at one of our popular “Ask an Expert” webinars. These events regularly attract hundreds of students, researchers, and industry experts and are a great opportunity to promote and share your research!
You can apply now – and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!