Several Divisions also gave honourable mentions to the following candidates:
Dr. Pablo García Martín, France. Commended by Division B Facilities, Technologies and Data Science, for their thesis ‘Machine Learning Applied to Astronomical Archives Data’
Dr. Marko Ristić, USA. Commended by Division D High Energy Phenomena and Fundamental Physics, for their thesis ‘Leveraging Machine Learning for Bayesian Inference of Astrophysical Transients Using Detailed Simulations’
Dr. Zihao Yang, China, Nanjing; Dr. Jinhan Guo, China, Nanjing. Commended by Division E Sun and Heliosphere, for their theses, respectively, ‘Diagnostics of the Coronal Magnetic Field based on Two-Dimensional Coronal Seismology’; and ‘Numerical Simulations of Solar Filaments: Formation, Magnetic Topology and Eruption’
Dr. Briley Lynn Lewis, USA commended by Division F Planetary Systems and Astrobiology, for their thesis ‘Applications of High-Contrast Imaging Techniques and Polarimetry to (Exo-)Planetary Science’ and also Dr. Shanglia Zhang, USA, commended for their thesis ‘Understanding Disk Substructures with 3D Self-Consistent Thermodynamics’.
Dr. Jérôme Bétrisey, Sweden. Commended by Division G Stars and Stellar Physics, for their thesis ‘Advanced Asteroseismology of Solar-like Stars through Forward and Inverse Techniques’
Dr. Pooneh Nazari, Netherlands. Commended by Division H Interstellar Matter and Local Universe, for their thesis ‘Bridging the gap between physics and chemistry in early stages of star formation’
Dr. Alexander Joseph Dittmann, USA. Commended by Division J Galaxies and Cosmology, for their thesis ‘The Lives and Times of Stars and Black Holes in the Disks of Active Galactic Nuclei’
The IAU congratulates all prize winners and recipients of honourable mentions, and wishes them every success in their future careers.
The 2025 IAU PhD Prize application round will open for submissions on 15 September and run until 15 December 2025 11:59 PM (UTC+1). The 2025 winners will be announced in June 2026.
The IAU PhD Prize is open to candidates from any country, regardless of whether the country is an IAU National Member. Candidates must submit an abstract of their thesis, a 1500-word thesis summary, three letters of recommendation (including one from the PhD advisor), a CV, and a PhD certificate. The winner of each Division will be decided by the Division’s standards and methods – guided by the Division Steering Committee – and possibly by corroborating external consultation or additional letters of recommendation. A separate prize – the PhD Prize-at-large – may be awarded to eligible applicants who conducted their PhD research under adverse conditions.