Nobel laureate Kip Thorne announces ESET Science Award laureates

The international jury, chaired by Nobel Prize laureate in Physics Professor Kip Thorne, announced the ESET Science Award laureates. 

The laureates were announced during a gala dinner at the National Theatre in Bratislava, capping off a week of activities honoring science, which included a riveting debate between Professor Kip Thorne and UK science hero Professor Brian Cox.

Ján Dusza, a material physicist, has been chosen as the recipient of the Outstanding Individual Contributor to Slovak Science Award 2021. The Outstanding Young Scientist in Slovakia under the age of 35 award went to Ladislav Valkovi, and the Outstanding Academic award went to Jozef Zajac

The international jury chairman, Kip Thorne, praised the world-class level of Slovak scientists, saying: “The selection of laureates was extremely challenging this year. This confirms that science in Slovakia has an international quality. However, large scientific projects require not only excellent science but also the support of public and private institutions, and therefore I wish the finalists to find such support for their research. The ESET Science Award is an important example of such support.”

All three categories’ laureates were chosen based on stringent criteria, including current scientific research findings and publications, measurable scientific data, roles in communicating and popularising science, collaboration with other scientific disciplines, feedback from close collaborators or students, and much more.

“The laureates, as well as the finalists of the ESET Science Award, repeatedly prove the world-class level of science in Slovakia,” says Richard Marko, CEO of ESET.

He added, “Regardless of the area they are working in, their work is extremely important, both to Slovakia and to the world. Today, society faces major global challenges, including spreading misinformation and mistrust in science and its results. However, our confidence in scientists remains strong and we are happy to continue to support their work. We believe that scientists and scientific knowledge are moving our country forward.”

The President of the Slovak Republic, Zuzana aputová, as well as the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Eduard Heger, were among those who attended this year’s gala dinner. Members of the international jury, including biologist Fiona Watt, scientist and philanthropist Hana Dvoáková, professor of inorganic chemistry Ralf Riedel, and professor of mathematics Tibor Krisztin, were also in attendance.

The Slovak people was also given the opportunity to vote for their laureate via Slovak National TV’s online voting system. This year, the public vote went to biologist Katarna Mikuová, who studies the bacillus that causes tuberculosis at the Charles University in Prague’s Department of Biochemistry. A committee of representatives from Slovak universities chose the laureate in the area of Outstanding Academic.

Ján Dusza, Laureate of the Outstanding Individual Contributor to Slovak Science Award
Ján Dusza works at the Institute of Materials Research of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Košice. He has devoted his entire professional life to research and development of progressive ceramic materials. The properties of these materials render them suitable for use in the most demanding conditions, in terms of temperature and mechanical stress in aggressive environments.

Ladislav Valkovič, Laureate of the Outstanding Young Scientist in Slovakia under the age of 35 Award
Ladislav Valkovič works at the Institute of Measurement of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) in Bratislava and at the Oxford Center for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research at Oxford University, where he is working to determine how to measure the metabolism of the heart and other internal organs as quickly, accurately and non-invasively as possible 

Jozef Zajac, Laureate of the Outstanding Academic award
Jozef Zajac is the dean of the Faculty of Production Technologies of the Technical University in Košice where he deals with the topic of progressive production technologies. Jozef Zajac emphasizes the importance of connecting university studies with practice. His faculty achieves up to a 99 percent success rate in employing graduates within three months of graduation, while 70 to 80 percent of them remain working in Slovakia.