On Wednesday evening, the daily newspaper “Die Presse” honored personalities who have made outstanding achievements in their field over the past year at the Austria 24 Gala in Vienna. In the “Research” category, the Innsbruck quantum physicist Francesca Ferlaino was named “Austrian of the Year”.
Every year, the daily newspaper “Die Presse” awards the “Austrian of the Year” prize in several categories. This year, the public and a distinguished jury selected quantum physicist Francesca Ferlaino as Austrian of the Year in the Research category. The award was presented to her yesterday evening at the Austria Gala 24 in Vienna. The physicist prevailed in the final against battery researcher Katja Fröhlich from the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT) and food analyst Rudolf Krska from Boku Vienna. This year's “Austrians of the Year” were also honored in the categories International, Humanitarian Commitment, Climate Initiative, Cultural Heritage and Responsible Business. The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) supports the award in the field of research.
On Francesca Ferlaino
Experimental physicist Francesca Ferlaino is one of the most successful scientists in Austria. Her research into the properties of quantum matter regularly attracts international attention. As a woman, she was a pioneer in her field and a role model for future generations of female physicists. With the “Atom*innen” project, which she initiated last year, Ferlaino wants to create a common space for female scientists in physics in which women can network and support each other and which aims to make female role models more visible.
Francesca Ferlaino, born in 1977, began her study in physics at the University Federico II of Naples, where she received her master in 1998. In 2004, she received her doctoral degree from the University of Florence and LENS. She joined Innsbruck in 2007 as post-doc and Lise-Meitner fellow to work in the group of Rudolf Grimm – who was also named Austrian of the Year in 2005 – until she was appointed Professor at the University of Innsbruck in 2014 and the first woman to be appointed Scientific Director at the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) in 2014.
👉 Tip: The highlights of the festive gala can be seen on Austrian Television ORF2 on October 26, 2024 at 5.25 pm.