Viennese scientists win top prizes for chemistry and microbiology

Viennese scientists win top prizes for chemistry and microbiology

Great personalities are in the spotlight in the Austrian scientific world, and today we can look forward to two important awards. The Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) has awarded the Ignaz L. Lieben Prize to the renowned chemist Nuno Maulide and the Bader Prize to the microbiologist Hanna Worliczek. This once again recognizes the high quality of research at local universities, which receives the highest recognition both internationally and nationally. According to economy.at, Maulide will receive $36,000, which corresponds to around 32,000 euros, for his outstanding achievements in organic-synthetic chemistry.

Nuno Maulide, who conducts research at the University of Vienna and at CeMM, the Center for Molecular Medicine, has not only made a name for himself through innovative chemical reactions, but was also named “Scientist of the Year” in 2023. He recently synthesized the natural substance quinine, an important active ingredient against malaria, using the shortest route. This achievement underlines his commitment to resource-saving chemistry and the drive to explore new bonding possibilities between atoms. Maulide completed his undergraduate studies in Lisbon and then received his master's degree in chemistry in Leuven and at the École Polytechnique in Paris. After completing his doctorate in Leuven in 2007, he took on a group management position at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Germany in 2009 before being appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Vienna in 2013. He has also been Adjunct Principal Investigator at CeMM since 2018.

Worliczek and the Bader Prize

The Bader Prize, which is endowed with $18,000 (approx. 16,000 euros), goes to Hanna Worliczek, who is being honored for her remarkable achievements in the history of natural sciences. Worliczek, who was a group leader at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna until 2013, has been working on a pilot project on the history of descriptive research in cell biology after 1950 as a scholarship holder of the FWF Science Fund at the Institute of History at the University of Vienna since 2014. Your project highlights the loss of reputation of this type of research and its new importance in the modern scientific landscape.

The celebratory award ceremony will take place on January 30, 2019 in the venerable halls of the ÖAW in Vienna. On this occasion, Maulide will give a lecture entitled “The Art of Chemical Synthesis”, while Worliczek will deal with the topic “Descriptive research as the stepchild of modern cell biology and its historiography”. Both scientists bring valuable insights into their respective fields and show how important fundamental research is for progress in the natural sciences. According to oeaw.ac.at, the often criticized descriptive research in cell biology will perhaps again play a central role in the scientific discussion.

Both award winners are exemplary of the high level of research in Austria and, with their achievements, inspire young scientists to achieve great things themselves. Their works are not only of academic importance, but also of practical relevance to society. We can't wait to see how their careers continue to develop and what new insights they will produce in the future.