- An Aston University researcher has been chosen to meet Nobel Prize winners
- Vijayakumar Manavalan is in the third year of a PhD in Chemistry
- Established in 1951, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings are held annually.
An Aston University PhD student has been chosen to meet Nobel Prize winners at an annual conference in Germany.
Vijayakumar Manavalan is in the third year of a PhD in Chemistry in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnologies of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
Established in 1951, the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings are held annually, with the theme alternating between the three Nobel Prize scientific disciplines, physics, chemistry or physiology/medicine. The conferences are the largest regular congregation of Nobel laureates in the world, apart from the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm.
Vijayakumar who is from Pondicherry, India said: “Attending the meeting could significantly enhance my research profile as meeting Nobel laureates will be incredibly inspiring and connecting with leading scientists, professors and researchers could result in collaborations and expand my professional network.
“I am looking forward to meeting Professors Akira Yoshino and M. Stanley Whittingham who are two of the three researchers awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for lithium-ion batteries. As a researcher in energy storage, it will be incredible to learn from their experiences, gain insights into their groundbreaking research and be inspired by their remarkable journeys in the field of battery technology.”
Attending the conference is almost always a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the young scientists who are selected from a pool of applicants representing undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The only exception to the ‘once only’ rule is if the early-career researcher later wins a Nobel prize.
The Royal Society decides who from the UK attends. They accepted Vijayakumar who was nominated by his supervisor Dr Stephen Worrall who said: “I am delighted that Vijayakumar is getting this much-deserved opportunity. He has demonstrated excellence in his principal field of study, published 11 peer reviewed journal articles in high impact factor publications and presented his research at national conferences. He has also been actively involved in the design of projects for and the supervision of project students, showcasing his potential to advance to higher levels of academia.
“Aston University’s 2030 Strategy commits us as an institution to being inclusive, entrepreneurial, and transformational and Vijay exemplifies these values.”
The 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting will be held from 29 June to 4 July on the island of Lindau, situated on Lake Constance in south Germany.