Björkén Prize goes to Marika Edoff and Nikolai Piskunov

Marika Edoff, Professor in Solid State Electronics, and Nikolai Piskunov, Professor in Observational Astrophysics, are joint winners of the 2022 Björkén Prize, one of Uppsala University’s most prestigious awards for outstanding research.

The jury’s justification:

In his research, Nikolai Piskunov uses one of the world’s most advanced telescopes to characterise the atmospheres of planets orbiting stars outside our own solar system, and to potentially discover biomarkers of extraterrestrial biological processes and life. In particular, he distinguishes himself by his concrete contributions to each stage of this research, from developing and assembling instruments and deriving equations to writing the code to analyse and simulate observational data and building databases. Thus he plays a key role in the major international collaborations in the field.

World record in efficiency

Marika Edoff is one of the world’s leading researchers in the field of solar cell technology, where she is setting world-records for the efficiency of thin-film-based photovoltaic cells. She leads some of Europe’s largest solar energy research networks with great integrity and scientific competence, including the ongoing SIT A programme with 14 different partners, as well as national networks such as the SOLVE centre of excellence. From 2014–2018, she was a dedicated deputy vice-rector at the Faculty of Science and Technology and is currently a member of the board of the Swedish Research Council.

The Björkén Prize was first awarded in 1902. The prize is alternately awarded in four different fields, the 2022 prize being for physics, mechanics, and engineering science. Laureates are selected by the University Board and the total prize money is approximately SEK 360,000.

Linda Koffmar