They look for answers to the current challenges of humanity in science. These are the finalists of the ESET Science Award
The ESET Science Award once again brings exceptional scientific personalities into the spotlight. The award presents the finalists who, with their work, contribute to a better future for everyone. Among them, there will be laureates in three categories: Outstanding Personality of Science in Slovakia, Outstanding Personality of Science under the age of 35, and Outstanding Personality of Higher Education. In the first two categories, the laureate will be chosen by an international commission headed by Nobel laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier. The gala evening with the announcement of the award winners will take place on October 10 and will be broadcast live by STVR on Dvojka.
The theme of the sixth year of the ESET Science Award is “The future of our planet”, which resonates from the successful STARMUS festival. “The award finalists contribute their scientific research to solutions to the challenges facing our society and the planet. Some improve people’s quality of life already today, others open up new possibilities for the future, but all of them, through their work, enable us to better understand the world around us and maintain it for future generations.” explains Paulína Böhmerová, ESET’s manager for relations with the scientific community.
The international commission, which will be chaired this year by Nobel laureate Emmanuelle Charpentier, traditionally decides who will become the laureate. Emmanuelle is a pioneer of the flexible and specific genome editing technology CRISPR-Cas9, for which she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020. The names of other committee members will be announced later.
“We are very happy that this year the international commission is chaired by a prominent figure in world science. Our aim is for the commission composed of top scientific personalities to inspire scientists in Slovakia and at the same time help make their achievements visible on the international scene. The goal of most of the activities of the ESET Foundation is to support science, create a favorable environment for scientific development and build an ecosystem that will ensure a promising future for science in Slovakia.” explains Lucia Marková, administrator of the ESET Foundation.
ESET Science Award laureates are recognized based on a comprehensive evaluation process. Not only their scientific contribution and measurable scientometric data are evaluated, but also their participation in international research projects or the visibility of Slovak science and research abroad. In addition, the use of innovative approaches in teaching, pedagogical skills and feedback from their students is monitored for university teachers.
The ceremonial announcement of the laureates will take place on October 10, 2024. STVR on Dvojka will broadcast live. Katarína Knechtová will be the musical guest of the evening. A unique element of the scene will be the stage. It will first be used at the gala evening and then, in the spirit of the theme of the 6th year – sustainability, it will find its new use and become part of Katarína Knechtová’s tour – Sveta 2024.
Finalists of the Outstanding personality of science in Slovakia category (in alphabetical order)
Mária Bieliková is an internationally recognized expert on artificial intelligence. It also deals with the ethical aspects of artificial intelligence. She is the founder of the Kempelen Institute of Intelligent Technologies (KInIT), which connects academia and business through excellent science, knowledge transfer and talent development.
Michael Mego is among the top experts in the field of oncology and personalized medicine. As head II. The Oncology Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine of the Comenius University and the National Oncology Institute in Bratislava is behind important research projects that push the boundaries of cancer treatment. His work is particularly pioneering in the field of research into circulating tumor cells in breast cancer and new treatment targets in testicular tumors.
Milan Sýkora is a leading Slovak chemist who, after working for many years at the prestigious Los Alamos National Laboratory, brought his research to Slovakia. He heads the Laboratory of Advanced Materials at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Comenius University and specializes in the development and study of nanomaterials and other modern materials with potential for use in new technologies.
Martin Venhart is a leading Slovak nuclear physicist who works at the Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. He specializes in the experimental study of the structure of heavy atomic nuclei using the methodology of nuclear spectroscopy.
Norbert Žilka is a Slovak neuroimmunologist who heads the Institute of Neuroimmunology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences. His research is focused on immunology, biological and non-pharmacological treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Finalists and finalists of the Outstanding personality of science under 35 years old category (in alphabetical order)
Matúš Dohál works at the Martin Center for Biomedicine of the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine of the Comenius University. In his work, he is primarily devoted to the investigation of tuberculosis, with an emphasis on the identification of new mechanisms of resistance, but also on the clarification of the spread of multiresistant strains in the population and molecular diagnosis of mycobacteria directly from clinical samples.
Francis Herman works at the Department of Experimental Physics of the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics of the Comenius University in Bratislava, where he returned after completing his postdoctoral studies at the ETH in Zurich. In addition to teaching, thanks to funding through a SASPRO grant, he deals with the theoretical physics of condensed matter in his research with a group of students. Currently, their focus is on superconductivity, especially the microscopic consequences of disorder in general.
Michal Kvet works as the head of the Department of Informatics at the Faculty of Management and Informatics of the University of Žilina in Žilina. He researches database systems, mainly in the field of temporal databases, performance and scalability. He also deals with data analytics and its application in intelligent transport and hospital information systems. He is the author of several textbooks and monographs devoted to the subject of database systems, cloud and temporal databases.
Finalists and finalists of the Outstanding Personality of Higher Education category (in alphabetical order)
Helena Bujdáková is the head of the Department of Microbiology and Virology of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Comenius University in Bratislava. He studies virulence factors, resistance and biofilms of pathogenic bacteria and yeasts. She is a delegate of the Czechoslovak Microbiological Society in the Federation of European Microbiological Societies.
Ivan Cimrák is a researcher and university teacher at the University of Žilina in Žilina. He is engaged in applied mathematics and computer science in the field of modeling the separation of circulating cancer cells and artificial intelligence in biomedicine.
Igor Farkas is among the leading Slovak experts in the field of artificial intelligence. He is the deputy head of the Department of Applied Informatics at the Faculty of Mathematics, Physics and Informatics of the Comenius University in Bratislava. At the Center for Cognitive Science, he has long specialized in researching artificial neural network models and their use in cognitive science and robotics.
Peter Peciar works as a professor in the field of mechanical engineering – process technology at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava. It is devoted to research and teaching processes and the construction of unique devices and apparatus for the chemical, food, pharmaceutical and consumer industries, as well as material research and innovative technologies. The focus of his research is the mechanics of three-phase systems with a particulate solid phase and the development of non-traditional technologies for processing powdered materials into agglomerated form.
You can find more information on the site www.esetscienceaward.sk
About the ESET Foundation
The ESET Foundation was established in 2011 and its primary activities include the popularization of science and research; developing education in the field of information technology and internet security, as well as supporting projects related to civil society. For more than 13 years of its successful existence, the ESET Foundation has created long-term partnerships with organizations whose goals and outputs contribute to the fulfillment of its direction. More information can be found at www.nadaciaeset.sk
About ESET
Society ESET for over 30 years develops leading security software for companies and home users worldwide. With solutions protecting terminal and mobile devices and servers, encryption and two-factor authentication, it enables companies and organizations to use the full potential of their technologies. ESET holds the record for the number of VB100 awards given by the UK’s Virus Bulletin, a highly respected independent testing organization. Trend weekly awarded ESET six times with the title Company of the Year.
ESET is based in Bratislava, with regional branches in Prague, Czech Republic; Jene, Munich, Germany; Bournemouth, United Kingdom; San Diego, USA; Toronto, Canada; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Sydney, Australia, Singapore and Tokyo, Japan. In addition to Bratislava, Košice, Žilina, Prague and Brno, research and development centers are also located in Krakow (Poland), Taunton (UK), Montreal (Canada) and Jasy (Romania). ESET is represented in more than 200 countries and territories around the world.
Source: www.nextech.sk
