The Charles Haenny Prize for Physics distinguishes a young physicist for research performed in Switzerland in any field of physics. The nominated work should be of excellent scientific quality and internationally competitive, while also respectful of humanity and its environment. In the spirit of Prof. Charles Haenny’s will, the prize aims to distinguish research based on an ethic of international collaboration or seeking to inhibit the use of physical knowledge for malicious goals.
This prize is supported by an endowment of Prof. Charles Haenny, professor at the University of Lausanne from 1943 to 1972. The prize consists of an award of CHF 5’000 and a trophy, to be presented at an award ceremony taking place during the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Swiss Physical Society.
The full prize rules can be found here and the list of previous recipients is here.
Call for the 2026 Prize
Nominations are now open of the 2026 Charles Haenny Prize for Physics.
Nomination deadline: 2 February 2026
Eligibility:
- Maximum 8 years after obtaining PhD: defined as the time between the (oral) defence or the official acceptance of the first PhD thesis and the application deadline. The window of eligibility may be extended for valid and proven breaks in academic activity (to be specified in the application).
- Research in any domain of physics conducted while affiliated at a Swiss institution. The work does not need to be performed in a physics department but needs to involve a strong physics component.
- Restrictions: In accordance with the will of Prof. Charles Haenny, any research related to the extension of nuclear power plants or the use of nuclear energy for military goals is explicitly excluded.
- Self-nominations are accepted.
The award committee is aiming at a diverse pool of candidates and encourages the nominations of women and members of other under-represented groups.
Requested submission documents:
Nominations should be submitted electronically at https://programs-recruiting.epfl.ch/position/42336260 and include the following documents (in pdf format):
- Maximum two-page description of research, including reference to relevant publications. At least 0.5 page should be dedicated to give a description, aimed at non-specialists, of the achievements and impact of the work and the link with the goals of the prize.
- Curriculum vitae with date of PhD clearly indicated.
- Support letter stressing relevant achievements. This can be from any stakeholder and not necessarily the direct supervisor.
Selection criteria:
- Scientific quality and originality
- Importance to benefit of humanity and its environment
- Importance of international collaboration and benefit to Switzerland and its place in the international community
Timeline:
- Application deadline: 2 February 2026
- The announcement of the selected awardee is planned around end of March 2026.
- The award ceremony will take place during the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Swiss Physical Society.
The next edition of the prize will be in 2028 and on every following even years.
Contact:
For further information, please contact the Chair of the selection committee:
Prof. Hugo Dil: [email protected]