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Prix Schläfli 2026 award for the four best dissertations in natural sciences

Valeriia Hutskalova (Chemistry), Julian Rogger (Geosciences), Astrid Stubbusch (Biology) and Andrea Weibel (Astronomy) were honoured with the Prix Schläfli 2026 for findings made in the context of their dissertations. Through this prize, the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT) singles out the four most significant insights of young researchers at Swiss universities. The Prix Schläfli has been awarded since 1866.

Prix Schläfli 2026: Andrea Weibel, Astrid Stubbusch, Valeriia Hutskalova, Julian Rogger
Prix Schläfli 2026: Andrea Weibel, Astrid Stubbusch, Valeriia Hutskalova, Julian Rogger
Prix Schläfli 2026: Andrea Weibel, Astrid Stubbusch, Valeriia Hutskalova, Julian RoggerImage: SCNAT
Image: SCNAT

Valeriia Hutskalova is a humorous "toolmaker" in Chemistry

Prix Schläfli 2026 for Chemistry: She really wanted to be a pianist, but she found enjoyment in chemistry. And Valeriia Hutskalova has now been awarded the Prix Schläfli. In her thesis at the University of Basel, she showed that even particularly stable molecule rings can be intentionally “cut” and put together again.

Julian Rogger shows how plants regulate the climate

Prix Schläfli 2026 for Geosciences: How climate change affects plants is right in front of our eyes. But what is the opposite like? What role does the vegetation system play in regulating the climate? This is the question pursued by Julian Rogger in his thesis at ETH Zurich, for which he has been awarded the Prix Schläfli.

Astrid Stubbusch discovers hunting bacteria

Prix Schläfli 2026 for Biology: From a very young age, Astrid Stubbusch wanted to thoroughly explore life in all its forms. In her thesis at Eawag – the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology – she showed the astounding strategies that bacteria develop in order to find food. She has now been awarded the Prix Schläfli for Biology for this work.

Andrea Weibel discovered that galaxies grow up surprisingly quickly

Prix Schläfli 2026 for Astronomy: He has always been interested in the “big questions of the universe” and immersed himself in the origins of the universe for his thesis at the University of Geneva. Andrea Weibel will now receive the Prix Schläfli for his work on the emergence of very young galaxies.

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