Nominees in the 3rd edition of the Heisig Prize
From among eight candidates put forward by twenty Polish universities participating in the “Excellence Initiative – Research University” programme, the Prize Committee has selected two nominees for the third edition of the Heisig Prize, also known as the “Polish Nobel”, the most prestigious financial award for a Polish scientist. The winner, who will receive 200,000 PLN, will be announced on 1 October 2025 at the University of Wrocław.
Professor Norbert Heisig is a German physician, born in 1933 in Breslau. He combined his medical studies with classical philology at the universities of Freiburg, Tübingen, and Hamburg. In 2000 he retired and became actively engaged in supporting, among other things, the academic community of the University of Wrocław. At his initiative, the Baroque ceiling of the Oratorium Marianum in the university’s main building was restored. Professor Heisig established the most prestigious financial award for a Polish scientist, first presented in 2021 to prof. Jan Potempa of the Jagiellonian University. The second laureate of the prize was prof. Lechosław Latos-Grażyński of the University of Wrocław.
The aim of the Heisig Prize is to honour Polish researchers conducting work at the highest level, whose discoveries change the world.
Candidates submitted for the 3rd edition of the Heisig Prize:
- prof. dr hab. Michał Ciborowski, Medical University of Białystok; discipline: medical sciences
- prof. dr hab. Marta Gmurek, Łódź University of Technology; discipline: mechanical engineering
- dr hab. Joanna Kujawa, prof. UMK at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń; discipline: chemical sciences
- prof. dr hab. Paweł Kulesza, University of Warsaw; discipline: chemical sciences
- prof. dr hab. Adam Miranowicz, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań; discipline: physical sciences
- prof. dr hab. Elżbieta Pamuła, AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków; discipline: biomedical engineering
- prof. dr hab. Ryszard Smoleński, Medical University of Gdańsk; discipline: medical and pharmaceutical sciences
- prof. dr hab. Maciej Ugorski, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences; discipline: veterinary science
The nominees in the 3rd edition of the Heisig Prize are:
The nominees in the 3rd edition of the Heisig Prize are:
Prof. Paweł J. Kulesza, University of Warsaw
Chemical sciences: electrochemistry, inorganic and analytical chemistry, materials engineering
Nominated in recognition of his discovery and comprehensive description of charge propagation in functional materials with broad application potential in energy conversion and storage processes.
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Professor Paweł Kulesza’s research is interdisciplinary in nature, encompassing electrochemistry and the study of inorganic, hybrid, and catalytic materials. By applying innovative measurement and diagnostic concepts, he achieved a significant breakthrough in discovering and explaining the mechanisms of charge transport and storage in multicentred inorganic materials exhibiting both oxidation–reduction properties and charge-accumulation capacity. His pioneering investigations demonstrated the enormous potential of electrodes modified with multicentred inorganic systems of defined functionality.
His work on establishing the relationships between the structure, morphology, and composition of materials and their electrocatalytic or photoelectrochemical activity has been of fundamental importance. It has enabled the development of innovative functional materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage, as well as for electrosynthesis. These materials are already being applied in alternative energy sources, including low-temperature fuel cells, solar cells, electrolytic cells, electrochemical capacitors, supercapacitors, and high-power batteries.
For these technologies, Professor Kulesza has devoted particular attention to deepening the understanding of catalysts and the mechanisms underlying oxygen reduction to water, the oxidation of simple organic fuels, the conversion of carbon dioxide into simple fuels and chemicals, the reduction of nitrogen to ammonia, as well as water splitting and hydrogen generation. His publications form part of the canon of international scientific literature, and his achievements have been recognised with numerous prestigious awards. Among others, he has received the Alessandro Volta Medal for achievements in electrochemical sciences (2024), the title of Vebleo Fellow in Material Science (2021), and Fellow of the Electrochemical Society (2019). He is also a laureate of the distinguished “Master” professorial fellowship of the Foundation for Polish Science and holds an honorary doctorate from Częstochowa University of Technology.
In his review of the nomination, Professor Vito Di Noto of the University of Padua observed that “Professor Paweł Kulesza has always conducted research at the highest level, and his discoveries have helped to shape the future of the energy transition that is currently changing the world.”
Professor Paweł J. Kulesza is a full member and member of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences. He works at the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Warsaw and collaborates with leading scholars worldwide in advanced electrochemistry and materials chemistry. He obtained his PhD at Southern Illinois University, USA, and has held postdoctoral and visiting professorships in the USA, Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, including at the Max Planck Institute in Berlin, where he worked in the group of Nobel laureate Professor Gerhard Ertl. He has also served as co-editor of chemistry journals published by Springer and Elsevier, and has led prestigious EU-funded projects as well as the Polish NCN Maestro grant. He has been Chairman of the Electrochemical Society in both Europe and the United States, and a member of ERC grant expert panels. According to the research.com chemistry ranking, Professor Kulesza is the author of over 400 publications, cited 13,246 times, with an h-index of 66.
Prof. Adam Miranowicz, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
Physical sciences: quantum optics, quantum information theory, and cryptography
Nominated in recognition of his pioneering scientific achievements in the theoretical and experimental foundations of quantum technologies, in particular for developing new methods of generating, controlling, and detecting quantum states of single photons, as well as for the fundamental discovery of the possibility of ultra-strong light–matter coupling and its applications to quantum dissipative engineering.
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Professor Adam Miranowicz’s work has introduced innovative approaches and methods enabling, among other things, quantum squeezing of light, leading to exponential enhancement of light–matter interactions and quantum entanglement. His results have allowed for the prediction of new physical phenomena and the development of pioneering experimental methods. In particular, his research on superconducting quantum circuits has opened up novel possibilities for generating, manipulating, and detecting microwave radiation, while his discoveries on ultra-strong light–matter coupling have proved essential for the implementation of new quantum technologies, including sensors and information processing. Many of his ideas have already been confirmed both theoretically and experimentally in renowned laboratories in the USA and the EU. They also show potential applications in the development of superconducting quantum computers, in quantum metrology, and in fundamental studies of quantum mechanics.
According to reviewer Professor Ryszard Horodecki of the University of Gdańsk, Professor Miranowicz’s research combines profound theoretical value with application potential, opening new avenues for the control of quantum systems. Professor Horodecki concludes that “Professor Miranowicz’s results bring a new quality to the world of quantum physics, offering breakthrough tools and ideas that extend our understanding of quantum phenomena while paving the way for second-generation quantum technologies.”
Professor Adam Miranowicz works at the Faculty of Physics of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and collaborates, among others, with leading research centres in Japan. He is the co-author of over 200 publications, cited 9,253 times according to the Scopus database, with an h-index of 50, and belongs to the top 2% of most cited researchers worldwide. He is also co-author of review articles in Nature Reviews Physics and Physics Reports, which have already been cited more than 3,000 times. Professor Miranowicz is likewise co-author of the book Stefan Banach: An Extraordinary Life and a Brilliant Mathematics, published in both Polish and English.
For his outstanding and creative scientific contributions in physics, Professor Adam Miranowicz has received numerous prestigious awards, including the 2019 Wojciech Rubinowicz Scientific Award of the Polish Physical Society and the 2021 Prize of the Prime Minister of Poland. He has also been a laureate of team scientific awards from the Minister of Science, as well as numerous research fellowships in Japan (RIKEN) and the EU (University of Oxford), in addition to major research projects, including the prestigious NCN Maestro grant (2020–2026).
Information about previous editions of the Heisig Prize:
Professor Jan Potempa – winner of the highest Polish scientific award (film) (1 October 2021)
The magnificent twelve. Nominees for the Heisig Prize (28 May 2021)
Added by: S.F.
Date of publication: 7.08.2025
