Professor Athanasios Nenes receives the Copernicus Medal 2022
Professor Nenes heads the LAPI laboratory at EPFL since 2018 © Alain Herzog/EPFL
The annual Copernicus Medal has been awarded to Athanasios Nenes, professor at ENAC School, in recognition of his “transformative contributions and fundamental advances” in a variety of fields including aerosol science, air quality and climate.
Professor Athanasios Nenes has just been awarded the Copernicus Medal 2022, which recognizes researchers for “ingenious, innovative work in the geosciences or in the planetary and space sciences” as well as for “efforts in promoting international collaboration and public outreach”.
Head of EPFL’s Laboratory of Atmospheric Processes and their Impacts (LAPI), Professor Nenes is a leading expert in the study of aerosols, for which he has developed numerous models, especially to help quantify their impact on clouds, climate, air quality and ecosystems. His work on aerosols is key in climate modelling and has been used by researchers and institutions around the world to shape policies related to air quality. These achievements have already earned him a number of distinctions: he was notably elected as a fellow of the American Association for Aerosol Research, of the American Geophysical Union, and was recognized as one of Web of Science’s “Highly Cited Researchers” for the last two years, with over 28’000 citations to his credit. He has also been previously awarded by the American Meteorological Society as well as NASA, the US National Science Foundation and the European Research Council.
The Copernicus Medal, awarded by an international and interdisciplinary committee, will be given out to the Professor during the European Geosciences Union’s General Assembly in Vienna, in May 2022. “Winning the Copernicus Medal is an incredible honour that fills me with excitement, joy and the commitment to live up to this distinction and embody all that it stands for,” says Professor Nenes. “My sincere and heartfelt gratitude and appreciation goes to the awards committee and my nominator. I owe so much to my family and the long list of amazing mentors, collaborators and students that I have worked with since my first steps in science.”