All news at TU Wien

Chiara Wagner receives the Franz Viehböck Young Investigator Award 2025

Appreciation awards go to Michael Kendler and Nail El Hocine Barama

Group photo of the Franz Viehböck Young Investigator Prize 2025 awardees and representatives of the Institute of Applied Physics at TU Wien during the award ceremony.

© Friedrich Aumayr

Franz Viehböck Young Investigator Prize 2025 – Award Ceremony

Group photo from the Franz Viehböck Young Investigator Prize 2025 award ceremony held during the Institute of Applied Physics Christmas party at TU Wien. From left to right: Franz Viehböck Jr. (former Austrian astronaut and son of Franz Viehböck), Wolfgang Werner, Nail El Hocine Barama (Appreciation Award), Michael Kendler (Appreciation Award), Chiara Wagner (Prize winner 2025), and Markus Valtiner.

The winner of the 2025 Franz Viehböck Young Investigator Award was officially announced at the institute's Christmas party on Monday, December 15, 2025.

This year's award, which is endowed with €1,500 in travel funds, goes to Chiara Wagner from the Applied Interface Physics research unit of IAP (134-02).

The flash presentation and subsequent poster competition, which formed the basis for the award, took place on December 12, 2025, and once again met with great response throughout the institute. Thirty-one applicants presented their work to an interested audience and a five-member jury.

In addition to the main prize, two Appreciation Awards were presented: to Michael Kendler from the Atomic and Plasma Physics Research Unit (134-03) of IAP and to Nail El Hocine Barama from the Surface Physics Research Unit (134-05).

The Franz Viehböck Young Investigator Award honors the memory of Prof. Franz Viehböck, founder and long-time director of the Institute of Applied Physics (1970–1987), and aims to support and promote outstanding young scientists. The appreciation awards are endowed with 500 euros each for travel expenses.

Congratulations to all the winners!