EARLY CAREER SCIENTIST PRIZE

The Early Career Scientist Prizes (previously Young Scientist Prizes) in Statistical Physics has recently been established by the C3 Commission on Statistical Physics of the IUPAP. The Award is aimed at recognizing outstanding achievements of scientists at early stages of their career in the field of Statistical Physics. The recipients are expected to have displayed significant achievement and exceptional promise for future achievements in the area of experimental or theoretical Statistical Physics.

Announcement of Early Career Scientist Prize 2022

Kyogo Kawaguchi

For his outstanding and unique achievements on multiple topics in experimental and theoretical statistical physics and biophysics, which include the fluctuation analysis of hidden variables, uncovering statistical physics behind homeostasis, and identifying the role of topological defects in the cell’s collective dynamics.

Short biography

Kyogo Kawaguchi is currently Team Leader of a Hakubi Research team at Riken BDR and Visiting Associate Professor in Kobe University. Dr Kawaguchi defended his PhD in 2015 at the University of Tokyo, where he received his Master degree in 2012 after his Bachelor degree in 2010.

His research is characterized by expertise as both a biophysicist performing wet-lab experiments and a theoretical statistical physicist. His work has focused on multiple topics in statistical physics, in particular non-equilibrium physics of living matter, and, recently, on linking cell biology to quantum physics and machine learning.

Camille Scalliet

For her outstanding work in a broad variety of topics in the physics of hard and soft glasses, in particular, for locating two-level systems and demonstrating their properties in low temperature glasses and for identifying both highly localized and collective excitations in the Potential Energy Landscape.

Short biography

Camille Scalliet currently holds an independent research position in the Department of Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. Dr Scalliet defended her PhD in September 2019 at the University of Montpellier after graduating from Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon in 2016.

Her research focuses on challenging statistical physics problems involving the physical properties of disordered materials, such as colloidal and granular assemblies and molecular glasses. Her work combines the use of smart algorithms for computer simulations with theoretical methods based on advanced statistical mechanics including both replica calculations and liquid state theory.

Suraj Shankar

For his outstanding theoretical contributions to soft matter and nonequilibrium statistical physics, particularly active matter and extreme mechanics, distinguished by a singular eye for connecting ideas from different fields.

Short biography

Suraj Shankar is currently a Junior Fellow at Harvard University. Dr Shankar defended his PhD in 2019 at Syracuse University after graduating from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai in 2014.

His research interests range from active matter and physical biology to fluid flow and extreme mechanics, focusing on geometric or topological aspects. His work combines a variety of tools, involving elasticity, continuum hydrodynamics and stochastic dynamics, together with topological and geometric techniques, along with field theoretic renormalization group methods and large deviation theory.