This year, the Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the category of Basic Sciences has gone to Prof. Michael Grätzel at EPFL Lausanne and Prof. Paul Alivisatos at the University of California, Berkeley. The Award celebrates “their fundamental contributions to the development of new nanomaterials already in use for the production of renewable energies and in latest-generation electronics.” The awarding committee’s citation reads: “Graetzel’s groundbreaking work includes the invention of a dye-sensitized solar cell named after him. Alivisatos made pioneering contributions in using semiconductor nanocrystals for energy and display applications. Their discoveries have found applications in renewable energy and optoelectronics.” The annual BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards cover eight categories, each awarded 400,000 euros. The categories span basic, natural, and social sciences and technology, climate change and ecology and conservation biology, contemporary music and opera.
Source: actu.epfl.ch