Six young Greek scientists are awarded for their top-level research work
Bodossaki Foundation announces the six scientists awarded with the Distinguished Young Scientific Award for 2021, in recognition of their creative and integrated scientific work. Since 1993, the Distinguished Young Scientist Awards have been presented every two years to Greek scientists up to the age of 40, who excel in the field of science in Greece and abroad.
The six winners for 2021 have been distinguished for their outstanding contribution in the following academic fields: Science, Life Sciences, Applied Science and Social-Economic Sciences. The award ceremony of Bodossaki Distinguished Young Scientist Awards is expected to take place around the end of the year.
Bodossaki Distinguished Young Scientist Awards 2021
Life Sciences: Biomedical Sciences
The award is presented jointly to:
- Christos Kyratsous, Vice President of Research, Infectious Diseases and Viral Vector Technologies at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., for his contribution to the treatment of viral diseases such as Ebola and SARS-COV-2 with new powerful treatments, among which is a cocktail of antibodies for treatment of the early stages of infection with SARS-COV-2.
- Thales Papagiannakopoulos, Associate Professor in the School of Medicine at New York University, for his scientific work in the field of cancer genome engineering and its metabolism. His approach bridges the gap between cancer biology and immunology.
Science: Mathematics
The award is presented jointly to:
- Stefanos Aretakis, Assistant Professor of Pure Mathematics at the University of Toronto, for his work in the field of Pure Mathematics and his influence in the area of Relativity Theory. In a series of groundbreaking research works, Stefanos Aretakis mathematically proved the existence of a new instability of the so-called “extreme” Black Holes, which was named “Aretakis instability” and is now the subject of studies in Physics.
- Themistoklis Sapsis, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Ocean Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and Institute for Data, Systems and Society (IDSS) and Center for Computational Science and Engineering (CCSE), for his work in Applied Mathematics and specifically in the study of quantitative characteristics of uncertainty for non-linear dynamic systems. His work allows a deep understanding of natural phenomena, such as extreme phenomena in the oceans, which he approaches using a rigorous mathematical methodology. It is therefore extremely useful for the analysis and prediction of natural ocean phenomena and for the design and safety of various mechanical systems.
Social-Economic Sciences: Economic Science, Political Science, Law
The award is presented to Myrto Kalouptsidi, Assistant Professor at Harvard University, in the Department of Economics, for her innovative research in applied microeconomics and her study at the intersection of Industrial Organization and International Trade.
Applied Science: Alternative and Renewable Energy, Environmental and Natural Resources Management, Low Carbon Emission Technologies, Energy Efficiency and Conservation
The award is presented to Antonios Papavassiliou, Associate Professor at the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Holder of the ENGIE Chair and member of the Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE) of the Louvain Institute of Data Analysis and Modeling at the UCLouvain, for his contribution to the rational use of energy resources and the large-scale penetration of renewable energy sources in electricity systems.
The institution of the Distinguished Young Scientist Awards is part of Bodossaki Foundation’s public benefit objectives for the promotion of education. With these awards, the Foundation acknowledges the creative work of young Greek scientists, rewards their consistent and continuous efforts to promote science, honours their moral consistency and seeks to contribute to the creation of proper role models for Greek society.
In the words of the President of Bodossaki Foundation’s Board of Trustees, Mr D. Vlastos:
“In a year in which the international scientific community shone with its outstanding performance in dealing with the pandemic, the awarding of Bodossaki Foundation’s Distinguished Young Scientist Awards brings to the fore the excellent work of young Greek scientists who excel internationally. Mr Stefanos Aretakis, Ms Myrto Kalouptsidi, and Messrs Christos Kyratsous, Antonios Papavassiliou, Thales Papagiannakopoulos and Themistoklis Sapsis, innovate, excel, are internationally recognised and contribute to the development of knowledge in key scientific disciplines.”
Bodossaki Distinguished Young Scientist Awards carry a cash prize and have so far acknowledged the work of 51 Greek scientists who are leading scientific research worldwide.
