Class of 2024 Awardees

We are thrilled to announce the Council on Superconductivity’s Class of 2024 Awardees!

These individuals have shown exceptional dedication and innovation in the field of superconductivity. The Council thanks all applicants for their efforts and encourage those not selected to apply next year. 

Congratulations to the 2024 Awardees!

IEEE Max Swerdlow Award for Sustained Service to the Applied Superconductivity Community 
Dr. Guebre Tessema, National Science Foundation, USA

In recognition of sustained service at the United States National Science Foundation to the applied superconductivity community, in particular by recommending funding and providing oversight for the following significant achievements:
•    The development of the 36 T Series-Connected Hybrid magnet at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) which included significant advances in our understanding of strain in Nb3Sn cable-in-conduit conductors
•    The development of the 32 T all-superconducting magnet at the NHMFL, the first REBCO magnet to operate at a higher field than had been previously attained by low-temperature superconductors
•    The basic core grant of the NHMFL that has supported the development of Bi-2212 magnet technology to enable commercial magnets in the 20 T to 30 T range as well as next-generation dipole magnets and quadrupole magnets for particle accelerators.

IEEE Dr. James Wong Award for Continuing and Significant Contributions to Applied Superconductor Materials Technology
Prof. Xavier Obradors, Institute of Materials Science Barcelona, Spain

For continuing and significant contributions in the field of superconductivity materials research, in particular for:
•    Pioneering work on REBCO conductor development, by advancement of metal organic deposition (MOD) processing of REBCO films to achieve ultra-high flux pinning via fast processing at low cost
•    Identifying a new vortex pinning mechanism in REBCO tape based on nanostrain in nanostructured high temperature superconductor and classifying the vortex pinning in the highly engineered films into strong and weak pinning and isotropic and oriented defects
•    Stimulating and driving collaboration with industry by transferring knowledge and promoting large scale industrial production of affordable REBCO superconductors, and by
•    Leading large European projects on novel REBCO technology with vision and innovation

IEEE Dr. James Wong Award for Continuing and Significant Contributions to Applied Superconductor Materials Technology 
Prof. Eric Hellstrom, Florida State University and NHMFL, USA

For continuing and significant contributions in the field of superconductivity materials research, in particular for:
•    Development of the over-pressure sintering process for the BSCCO-2223 Ag-sheathed composite conductor that enabled significant enhancement of critical current density both in laboratory and industrial tape 
•    Development of high-critical current BSCCO-2212 wire via implementation of the over-pressure processing that enabled suppression of gas bubbles during the melt processing and enhancement of critical current density
•    Development of BSCCO-2212 powder and support to industry for meeting powder requirements
•    Development and study of other superconducting materials, including MgB2 bulk material and Ba-122 superconducting wires and bulks

IEEE Award for Continuing and Significant Contributions in the Field of Applied Superconductivity, Large Scale 
Dr. Makoto Takayasu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

For continuing and significant contributions in the field of large-scale applications of superconductivity, in particular:
•    for his leading work during the ITER-EDA, to standardize the critical current measurement of Nb3Sn strands, including introducing the Ti-6Al-4V Jc barrel, providing accurate and repeatable Ic measurements worldwide.
•    for his experimental investigation and modeling of ramp-rate limitation in LTS coils, observed during the Demonstration Poloidal Coil test program,
•    for development of analytical, numerical, and experimental techniques to characterize mechanical properties and electrodynamic effects of REBCO-based, cables,
•    for invention of the Twisted Stacked-Tape Cable (TSTC) concept, whose many variants have been broadly adopted for use in REBCO-based, high-field fusion reactors, and
•    for his patient mentoring of the next generation of applied superconductivity researchers.

IEEE Council on Superconductivity Carl H. Rosner Entrepreneurship Award
Prof. Lixing You, President of Photon Technology Co. Ltd. in Shanghai, China

For demonstrating outstanding entrepreneurship skills in the field of applied superconductivity, in particular:
•    for founding Photec, Ltd. and the commercialization of high-performance Superconducting Strip Photon Detectors (SSPDs),
•    for promoting the use of SSPDs in Quantum Technologies and fundamental research,
•    for transferring these technological advances worldwide through several scientific collaborations, and market-oriented technological transfer actions.