Women Interactive Materials Award 2025 – Excellence in materials research honoured
On 18 September 2025, the 5th WIMA awards ceremony took place at the DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials in Aachen. In the field of ‘Active and Interactive Materials’, outstanding young female scientists are honoured who are shaping the future of this dynamic field with their research and visions.
Once again this year, the finalists impressed with their creative and groundbreaking research approaches. The finalists were Anna Puiggali Jou [ETH Zurich], Stefania Ketztezi [Harvard University], Isabella Fiorello [University of Freiburg], Brigitta Dúzs [Johannes Gutenberg University], Elena Cambria [Massachusetts Institute of Technology] and Laura Rijns [Stanford University]. They all impressed with their high quality, originality and scientific excellence.
The first prize, worth EUR 10,000, went to Laura Rijns. She impressed the jury with her presentation entitled ‘Controlling interactions between cells and materials using chemistry: from tissue growth to the treatment of neurological diseases’.
Jury member Laura Heinen summarised the decision as follows:
“She impressed us with her multidisciplinary research approach and enthusiasm for her research topic, playfully combining her experience in supramolecular chemistry, bioelectronics, and optogenetics to optimize communication between electronic materials and living tissue. The deeper the questions delved, the more comfortable she felt in the discussion.”
Brigitta Dúzs and Elena Cambria were awarded prizes of €2,500 each. In addition to the prize winners, Anna Puiggali Jou, Stefania Ketztezi and Isabella Fiorello also presented their work in the final, thereby contributing significantly to the diversity and quality of the competition.
The event was made possible by the generous support of the ALTANA Group, the DWI Friends Association and the Leibniz Health Technologies Research Alliance.
The jury – consisting of Petra Severit [ALTANA AG], Sandra Van Vlierberghe [Ghent University], Viktorija Glembockyte [Max Planck Institute for Medical Research] and Laura Heinen [DWI] – highlighted the high quality of all applications and emphasised the importance of promoting female scientists in the early stages of their careers.
‘With WIMA, we want to raise the profile of outstanding female researchers in the field of materials science and recognise their achievements. This year's finalists have once again impressed us with their creativity, expertise and enthusiasm for science,’ said Petra Severit.
The DWI would like to thank all participants, the jury and the sponsors for their contribution to the success of WIMA 2025. We look forward to continuing this important event and supporting the careers of outstanding young female scientists in the future.
You can find more information about WIMA here here