Michael Grätzel wins Eric and Sheila Samson award
© 2014 EPFL
Michael Grätzel has won the prestigious Eric and Sheila Samson Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation in Alternative Fuels for Transportation.
Professor Michael Grätzel leads the Laboratory of Photonics and Interfaces at EPFL. He is known for discovering a new type of solar cell, the “Grätzel cells”, which are based on dye-sensitized nanocrystalline oxide films. He also pioneered the use of mesoscopic materials in energy conversion systems, including photovoltaic cells, lithium ion batteries and photo-electrochemical devices for the splitting of water into hydrogen and oxygen by sunlight.
The Eric and Sheila Samson Prize is the world’s largest monetary prize ($1 million) awarded by Israel to pioneers in the field of alternative fuels. It is given each year to scientists who have made critical advancements in the field, selecting from a long list of candidates from Israel and the world.
Michael Grätzel will share the prize with another winner, Professor Thomas Meyer from the University of South Carolina, known for his work in artificial photosynthesis and water splitting. The award ceremony will take place on December 3, 2014 in Tel-Aviv, during the 'Fuel Choices Summit', which is an international conference on fuel alternatives organized by the Fuel Choices Initiative of Israel's Prime Minister’s Office.