Scientific Excellence of the EPS Nuclear Physics Division celebrated at EuNPC2025 in Caen

From 22 to 26 September 2025, the European nuclear physics community convened in Caen, France, for the 6th European Nuclear Physics Conference (EuNPC2025) — the flagship event of the EPS Nuclear Physics Division (NPD). A major highlight of the gathering was the official presentation of the 2024 EPS NPD Prizes, which honoured both established figures and promising young scientists in the field.

Lise Meitner Prize 2024: Honouring Pioneers in Nuclear Science

During the conference’s social dinner, the prestigious Lise Meitner Prize — awarded biennially by the EPS-NPD for outstanding contributions to nuclear science — was jointly presented to:

• Prof. Muhsin N. Harakeh (University of Groningen, Netherlands)

• Prof. Achim Richter (TU Darmstadt, Germany)

On the final day of the conference, both laureates gave keynote lectures showcasing their pioneering work on collective excitations in nuclei, including giant resonances, isospin modes, and the “scissors mode.” Their groundbreaking experimental and theoretical contributions were recognized by the prize committee for their lasting impact on nuclear structure research and accelerator development.

Prof. Achim Richter was not able to attend the conference and Dr Peter von Neumann-Cosel gave the talk on his behalf.

Named in honour of the trailblazing physicist Lise Meitner, the award is one of the most prestigious distinctions in the field. This year’s joint recognition reflects the complementary nature of the winners’ scientific careers and their influence across generations of nuclear physicists.

PhD Thesis Prizes: Celebrating Emerging Talent

Also presented during the conference’s social dinner were the EPS NPD PhD Thesis Prizes for the period 2021–2023, recognising exceptional doctoral research conducted at European institutions.

The three recipients were:

• Dr. Chloé Fougères (University of Caen / GANIL): “Understanding the cosmic abundance of ²²Na: lifetime measurements in ²³Mg”

• Dr. Sandro Fabian Kraemer (KU Leuven): “Vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy of the radiative decay of the low energy isomer in ²²⁹Th”

• Dr. Francesco Marino (University of Milan / INFN): “Microscopic theory of infinite nuclear matter and non empirical energy functionals”

On the final day of the conference, each awardee presented their thesis work to a broad audience of peers, mentors, and senior scientists. Their presentations spanned nuclear astrophysics, fundamental nuclear structure, and theoretical models of nuclear matter — underscoring the richness and diversity of current research directions.

EPS Poster Prize awarded at the conference

As per tradition, the European Physical Society (EPS) is supporting the EPS Poster Prize.
This year, the Nuclear Physics Division Board has awarded the prize to Dr. Marta Satrazani from KU Leuven for her outstanding work on “Gamma-ray spectroscopy of ²²⁹Ac following the β decay of ²²⁹Ra” on behalf of the IDS Collaboration.

Additional poster prizes, supported by NuPECC, one of the conference sponsors, have also been presented to other talented young researchers.

A Ceremony Rooted in Community Spirit

The awards ceremony, held during the social dinner at EuNPC2025, was a moment of celebration and recognition. The laureates’ presentations on the final day provided the entire conference community with the opportunity to engage directly with the scientific achievements being honoured.

“These awards are more than symbolic,” commented Alessandra Fantoni, the chair of the EPS-NPD Board. “They represent the creativity, depth, and continuity of the nuclear physics community in Europe and beyond.”

Lise Meitner laureates  Achim Richter (represented by Peter Von Neumann-Cosel) and Muhsin Harakeh 

with Alessandra Fantoni (EPS NPD chair and EuNPC2025 co-chair) and Marek Lewitowicz (EuNPC2025 co-chair)

 PhD best thesis Chloe Fougères with Alessandra Fantoni (EPS NPD chair and EuNPC2025 co-chair) and Marek Lewitowicz (EuNPC2025 co-chair)

 PhD best thesis Sandro Kramer with Alessandra Fantoni (EPS NPD chair and EuNPC2025 co-chair) and Marek Lewitowicz (EuNPC2025 co-chair)

 PhD best thesis Francesco Marino with Alessandra Fantoni (EPS NPD chair and EuNPC2025 co-chair) and Marek Lewitowicz (EuNPC2025 co-chair)  

 Best EPS poster prize Marta Sartrazani with Alessandra Fantoni (EPS NPD chair and EuNPC2025 co-chair)

The Nuclear Physics Division (NPD) of the European Physical Society (EPS) is delighted to announce that the winners of the 2024 Lise Meitner prize are Prof. Dr. Muhsin N. Harakeh (University of Groningen - Netherlands) & Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Achim Richter (Technical University of Darmstadt - Germany).

The prize is given every two years for outstanding work in the fields of experimental, theoretical or applied nuclear science. Professors Harakeh and Richter are both renowned figures in nuclear physics, having made significant discoveries over decades of dedicated research. Their contributions have influenced the entire scientific community in this field.

Prof. Harakeh and Prof. Richter have been awarded the prize for their seminal contributions to the discovery and investigation of collective modes in atomic nuclei, including the Isoscalar Giant Monopole and Dipole Resonances and the "Scissors Mode”, and the role of the isospin degree of freedom in nuclear excitations. Their work has also driven significant methodological advancements, such as zero-degree measurement techniques and the development of multi-turn superconducting linear accelerators.

The prize will be awarded on 22-26 September 2025 during the 6^th European Nuclear Physics Conference 2025 (EuNPC 2025) in Caen (France), where the winners will give a talk on their research.

More info:

- 2024 call and previous winners available here

- A brief article on Lise Meitner is available here

The Nuclear Physics Division of the European Physical Society (EPS) is delighted to announce that the winner of the 2022 Lise Meitner prize is Prof. Phil Walker (University of Surrey). The prize is given every two years for outstanding work in the fields of experimental, theoretical or applied nuclear science and Prof. Walker has been awarded the prize for seminal contributions to the understanding of long-lived nuclear excited “isomeric” states and the factors that determine their half-lives, that range from nanoseconds to years.

Since their discovery by Otto Hahn 100 years ago, isomers have been a cornerstone of our understanding of nuclear structure. These long-lived nuclear excited states give access to the basic physics of both the collective and the individual-nucleon behaviour of nuclei, together with important applications in diverse areas including astrophysics, medical imaging, Mössbauer spectroscopy, time keeping, coherent gamma-ray emission, and energy storage. Walker’s research has a strong focus on the basic properties of isomers, and how these might be exploited for energy applications. He has led the way in recognising and developing novel techniques for revealing isomer structures. For example, in his early work Walker used gamma-ray spectroscopy with pulsed beams to establish some of the most isomer-rich structures in hafnium (Z=72) and tantalum (Z=73) isotopes. Walker worked on isomer theory to predict the existence of some exceptional long-lived isomers in neutron-rich isotopes of the same elements. Although out of experimental reach at the time, such isomers could later be studied, as proposed and led by Walker, using projectile-fragmentation reactions to inject isomers into the new and unique heavy-ion storage ring at GSI in Germany. The new isomers discovered by this method could themselves be revealed in more detail following deep-inelastic reactions and exploiting a new design of isotope separator at RIKEN in Japan. Key experiments have been proposed and led by Walker. This latter work is ongoing, with important results already published.

A controversial aspect of research into nuclear isomers is the possibility that their energy-storage capability could be exploited and, crucially, that it might be possible to release the stored energy in a controlled manner. The high energy density of isomers (≈1 MeV per atom, compared to chemical energies ≈1 eV per atom) could lead to dramatic applications. Walker has been a keen advocate of the science challenges in this area, requiring research at the interface between atomic physics, plasma physics and nuclear physics. New and exciting opportunities are being opened up at FAIR, FRIB and other next-generation radioactive-beam facilities.

Prof. Walker has made outstanding developments in the study and understanding of isomeric states  including critical insights into possible isomer applications, such as energy storage and coherent gamma-ray emission. He has also led in the development and exploitation of a range of experimental techniques, from low-energy isotope separators to high-energy storage rings, which will also extend the isomer research opportunities with the new generation of radioactive-beam facilities.

More info

• Press release from the University of Surrey
• EPS NPD Lise Meitner Prize for Nuclear Science