Prize Winners
Alfvén Prize
For outstanding contributions to plasma physics
This prize was established by the EPS Plasma Physics Division in 2000 and is awarded for research achievements which have either already shaped the field of plasma physics or have demonstrated the potential to do so in future. To recognize collaborative research, a group of up to three individual scientists may be nominated
The 2026 winner is:
Philippa Browning (University of Manchester, UK) for innovative results that bridge astrophysical and laboratory plasmas addressing, through analytical insight and magnetohydrodynamic/kinetic modelling, the fundamental features of solar coronal heating, the onset of nanoflares, particle acceleration in magnetic reconnection, and relaxation of magnetic configurations in fusion devices.
Professor Browning will be awarded her prize and present a plenary talk at the EPS Plasma Physics Conference 2026.
The 2025 winner, Michel Koenig (LULI, France) will also be awarded his prize and present a plenary talk at the EPS Plasma Physics Conference 2026, as he was unable to attend the 2025 conference.
EPS – PPCF Sylvie Jacquemot Early Career Prize
This prize is awarded jointly by the EPS Plasma Physics Division and the Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (PPCF) journal of IOP Publishing to exceptional plasma physicists in the early stages of their careers. The prize is funded by PPCF.
The award is named after Prof. Dr. Sylvie Jacquemot from the Laboratoire pour l’Utilisation des Lasers Intenses (LULI) located at École Polytechnique, France. Her scientific research encompasses plasma physics and related high-energy-density applications, in particular inertial fusion sciences and X-ray laser physics. She chaired the EPS Plasma Physics Division Board from 2012 – 2016. Currently, she is the Coordinator of the Laserlab-Europe Consortium which brings together 35 leading organisations in laser-based inter-disciplinary research from 18 countries.
The 2026 winner is:
Elizabeth Grace (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, USA) for pioneering development of a novel on-shot laser imaging technique that enables the capture of plasma dynamics with unprecedented detail, advancing the understanding of high energy density physics, and opening new possibilities for research in fusion energy and fundamental plasma science.
Dr Grace will be awarded her prize and present a plenary talk at the EPS Plasma Physics Conference 2026.
Innovation Award
European Physical Society Plasma Physics Innovation Prize “for technological, industrial or societal applications of research in plasma physics”
The EPS Innovation Prize was established in 2008 by the EPS Plasma Physics Division to recognise and promote the wider benefits to society that arise from the applications of plasma physics research. The work recognised in previous years is diverse. Nominations are welcome from all areas of technology, industry, society or more. Recent awards have included applications in medicine and materials processing.
The prize is awarded for proven applications that can go beyond, but are derived from, plasma physics research. Joint awards are also possible and can be submitted from a group of up to three individuals.
The 2026 winner is:
Christophe Laux (CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay, France) for pioneering work on nanosecond pulsed discharges and demonstrating their practical use for sustainable energy solutions including plasma-assisted combustion and methane plasmalysis.
Professor Laux will be awarded his prize and present a plenary talk at the EPS Plasma Physics Conference 2026.
PPCF Outstanding Paper Prize 2026
This prize highlights work of the highest quality and impact published in the journal Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (PPCF), and rotates between fields of plasma research covered by the journal on a biennial basis. For the 2026 prize, eligibility was limited to papers in the field of magnetic confinement fusion published in 2022 and 2023 calendar years (volumes 64 and 65).
The 2026 winner is:
Stefano Coda (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland) for his paper “Enhanced confinement in diverted negative-triangularity L-mode plasmas in TCV”.
Professor Coda will be awarded his prize and present an oral talk at the 2026 EPS Plasma Physics Conference 2026.
PhD Research Award
European Physical Society Plasma Physics Division PhD Research Awards
The Plasma Physics Division of the European Physical Society (EPS) grants annually up to four prizes to young scientists from the 38 European countries associated with the EPS in recognition of truly outstanding research achievements associated with their PhD study in the broad field of plasma physics.
The four 2026 winners are:
Pablo Bilbao (University of Lisbon, Portugal) for his thesis “Kinetic instabilities in extreme plasma physics: laboratory and astrophysical dynamics”
Daniel Fajardo (Ludwig-Maximilians – University of Munich, Germany) for his thesis “Theory-based integrated modelling of impurity transport in tokamaks”
Alan Goodman (University of Greifswald, Germany) for his thesis “Quasi-isodynamic stellarator optimisation”
Jessica Schleitzer (Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany) for her thesis “Plasma structure and dynamics in dual-frequency discharges: a multi-diagnostic approach from bulk to sheath”
Each will be awarded their prize and present oral talks at the EPS Plasma Physics Conference 2026.
More details on the EPS Plasma Physics Division Awards can be found here: Awards | European Physical Society – Plasma Physics Division