This week, The Ohio State University announced a new university prize, named for Nobel laureate and emeritus professor Pierre Agostini.
Administered by the Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge, The Pierre Agostini Prize is the university’s most prestigious award for scholarly and artistic achievement and will be given annually to a faculty member whose research or creative work is recognized by their peers to be so groundbreaking and influential that it deserves to be called “world class” and would typically be recognized through national or international awards.
Agostini was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023 for his work with attosecond pulses. The scientist donated a replica of his medal to the university’s Department of Physics in the spring of 2024, saying he was “proud to be your representative of Ohio State’s scientific community in Stockholm.”
Nominations for the Agostini Prize will be reviewed and ranked by a committee of faculty who compose the Agostini Prize Review Committee. Members of the committee will reflect the caliber of the prize and breadth of the nomination pool. The committee will typically include eight eminent faculty representing an appropriate range of disciplines, each of whom is noted for their distinguished achievements in research or creative expression. The Enterprise for Research, Innovation and Knowledge will administer the award.
Winners will receive $50,000, split evenly into a cash award and a research budget. The awardee will also have the opportunity to present a brief overview of their work to Ohio State’s Board of Trustees in the Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships Committee.
“What better way to honor Professor Agostini’s contributions than through an award that celebrates the best of our faculty’s creativity and research,” said Peter Mohler, executive vice president for research, innovation and knowledge. “The Agostini Prize will encourage faculty to push their work even further, benefiting all of us at Ohio State and in communities across the globe.”
The prize’s inaugural winner will be announced this spring while Agostini is on campus working with students and faculty.
This article was originally published on Ohio State News.