Tobias Dornheim receives Lem Research Prize - Wrocław Tech’s young talent award goes to CASUS scientist
Wrocław University of Science and Technology (Wrocław Tech) honors pioneering research with the Stanisław Lem European Research Prize. It is named after the Polish science-fiction novelist Lem. Dr. Tobias Dornheim was announced as the 2024 prize recipient at the Wrocław University of Science and Technology Day on November 15. The distinction is endowed with 100,000 Polish złoty (around 23,000 euros). Dornheim is leading the junior research group “Frontiers of Computational Quantum Many-Body Theory” at the Center of Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), an institute of Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR).
The prize honors Dornheim’s work on “Model-free diagnostics of extreme states of matter in the imaginary time”, Wrocław Tech’s Rector Prof. Arkadiusz Wójs said. The young scientist introduced a new method to analyze extreme states of matter, such as those found inside planets or in fusion energy experiments, without relying on error-prone models. By applying “imaginary-time” analysis of X-ray data, scientists can now accurately measure temperatures and other properties. This technique has been adopted at major experimental facilities, including the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (both US), and the European X-Ray Free Electron Laser in Germany. Dornheim’s achievement has been recognized through numerous invited talks, substantial citations, and significant funding for further research.
“I am really excited and grateful to be selected as this year’s award recipient,” Dornheim said in a video statement. The 34-year-old also added that as a passionate reader he cherishes the work of Stanisław Lem. Dornheim knows Wrocław already pretty well as the city’s University of Wrocław is one of the five major partner institutions of CASUS and he attended several workshops and congresses in the Lower Silesia metropolis. “I now look forward to get to know the people and science of Wrocław Tech,” he added in the statement. Dornheim will visit Wrocław Tech next year to give a lecture to the general public and to meet with university officials and student organizations. The award trophy will then also be passed on to him.
German-born Tobias Dornheim received his doctorate from Kiel University (Germany) in 2018. After a brief postdoctoral stay in Kiel, he joined CASUS in 2019. In early 2022 he was promoted to head a Young Investigator Group at CASUS. The group “Frontiers of Computational Quantum Many-Body Theory” has by now grown to seven members. Also in 2022, Dornheim was awarded a prestigious Starting Grant by the European Research Council for his proposal to develop a reliable theoretical description of warm dense matter with the help of machine learning methods.
Aimed at supporting scientists until the age of 40 years who conduct their research in the European Union, the Lem Prize is awarded annually for a recent discovery or significant achievement in the broadly defined fields of science and engineering. The criteria of interdisciplinarity, creativity and vision are also relevant here. The prize was established to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the eminent Polish science fiction novelist Stanisław Lem who received an honorary doctorate from Wrocław Tech in 1981. Each year, the laureate is chosen by a chapter composed of prominent academics from abroad, Wrocław Tech itself and Tomasz Lem, the writer’s son. The prize money is donated by a number of Polish companies and organizations. The 2024 prize committee with members from six different countries was chaired by Prof. Maciej Lewenstein from the Institute of Photonic Sciences ICFO (Barcelona, Spain).
Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Dr. Tobias Dornheim
Young Investigator Group Leader
E-mail: t.dornheim@hzdr.de
Weitere Informationen:
https://www.casus.science/news/casus-news/tobias-dornheim-receives-lem-research-prize/
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