As part of our Global Call and search for the Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2023, we invite leading actors in science and academia worldwide to nominate the latest breakthroughs and outstanding science projects in 9 different categories, Engineering & Technology being one of them. Our distinguished jury for Engineering & Technology, chaired by Metin Sitti, selected 10 excellent winners in this category and awarded Cao Thang Dinh, Queen’s University with the prestigious title Science Breakthrough of the Year, Engineering & Technology. You can learn more about his groundbreaking research here.

MEET OUR engineering & Technology WINNERS

You can discover the 10 winners in Engineering & Technology 2023 below. To see the winners in each category, click here, to see the finalists in each category, click here.

CAO THANG DINH – QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall to Carbon Capture Technology
Cao Thang Dinh developed a novel system that integrates carbon capture and conversion in a single step, addressing the biggest challenge in carbon dioxide conversion technology — low energy efficiency.

JODIE LUTKENHAUS – TEXAS M&A UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall to Organic Batteries
Jodie Lutkenhaus pioneered organic batteries as an alternative to today’s lithium-ion batteries, which are presently sourced from critical materials that will have limited availability in the coming years.

LINING YAO – HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION INSTITUTE

Breaking the Wall to Autonomous Self-Burying Seed Carriers
Lining Yao engineered a wood-based, three-tailed, biodegradable seed carrier capable of self-drilling into the ground in response to moisture fluctuations. Her invention has a higher success rate than that of natural self-drilling seeds, making it a valuable solution for agriculture and reforestation purposes.

PO-CHUN HSU – UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

Breaking the Wall to Human-Building-Energy Nexus
Po-Chu Hsu devised a method to provide independent and active control over visible light, sunlight, and ambient thermal radiation to building envelopes and wearable devices, accomplishing thermal comfort with zero fossil fuel and carbon emissions.

SHIH-CHI CHEN – CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

Breaking the Wall to Using Ultrafast Multi-Material 3D Nanofabrication
Shih-Chi Chen developed a revolutionary nanoscale 3D printing platform based on femtosecond projection that supports nanofabrication with 20 different materials and addresses critical fabrication challenges in nanotechnology, photonics, energy, and biotechnology.

SHENG XU – THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO

Breaking the Wall to Sense Under the Skin
Sheng Xu and his team invented a wearable ultrasound technology to sense signals from deep tissues, introducing a new sensing dimension to existing wearables.

STEVE ALBRECHT – HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM BERLIN FÜR MATERIALIEN UND ENERGIE

Breaking the Wall to the Limation of the Electricity Generation from Sunlight
Steve Albrecht and his team set several world records in perovskite-based tandem solar cell efficiencies, highlighting the crucial importance of new solar materials like halide perovskites for climate change mitigation, energy justice, and security.

WEI GAO – CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Breaking the Wall to Autonomous Skin-Interfaced Personalized Healthcare
Wei Gao innovated wearable sweat biosensors, enabling them to continuously analyze a broad spectrum of biomarkers and provide insightful personalized information for a broad range of fundamental investigations and clinical applications.

XIADONG CHENG – NANYAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall to Stretchable Devices Assembly
Xiaodong Chen developed a universal interface to assemble stretchable devices simply and quickly, effectively overcoming the challenge of fragile connections in such devices.

ZUANKAI WANG – HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall to the Leidenfrost Effect
Zuankai Wang revolutionized thermal engineering with the heterogenous integration of materials with opposite thermal properties and distinct topographies, resulting in a persistent contact between liquid, solid and enhanced heat transfer.

 

The Global Call 2023 has ended on 15 May 2023, the next Global Call will take place in 2024. You will find all relevant information and updates here and in our newsletter.

Falling Walls seeks internationally recognised, established academics and leaders in the practical application of science and mathematics to every-day life (e.g. artificial intelligence, information technology, mechanical engineering), whose groundbreaking work contributes towards solving the world’s biggest challenges.

RELEVANT INFORMATION

Please find below everything you need to know about your Falling Walls Global Call submission in the Engineering & Technology category. We recommend that you read all the information carefully. We look forward to your nominations.

WHAT IS THE FALLING WALLS GLOBAL CALL?

The Falling Walls Global Call is an international competition format that brings together science enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds. We are looking for the most recent and innovative Breakthroughs of the Year! We encourage and invite nominations and applications from all over the world. To help make the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023 the celebration that excellent science deserves, we launch the Falling Walls Global Call each year.

 

Nominations open 1 March and close 1 May 2023 (extended from 1 May).

WHO CAN NOMINATE?

  • Nominations for the Science Breakthrough of the Year may be initiated by leading academics and academic institutions, universities, research organizations, companies, private and public research centres, academies, research funders, foundations, and individuals to nominate the latest breakthroughs in Engineering & Technology. Self-nominations are accepted. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email. We are happy to help.

Who can be nominated?

  • In the Engineering & Technology category, we are looking for internationally recognised, established academics and leaders in the practical application of science and mathematics to every-day life (e.g. artificial intelligence, information technology, mechanical engineering), whose groundbreaking work contributes towards solving the world’s biggest challenges. We are looking  for individual scientists as well as research groups of outstanding quality who
    • have made excellent, ground-breaking, recent achievements in their respective fields, nationally and internationally, and who stand out for their innovative strength;
    • promise to have a significant long-term impact on the research landscape and to contribute towards solving global challenges, such as having a positive effect on nature and humanity, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals;
    • translate scientific topics and their complexities in a way that makes them accessible and attractive to large sections of society.

    Nominations will be considered and evaluated within the category, but their potential for interdisciplinary problem-solving will also be assessed.

HOW CAN I SUBMIT MY OWN PROJECT?

Self-nominations are accepted. To submit your own project, please run through the nomination process on our online platform. You will receive an email to confirm your nomination in order to give detailed information on your project.

 

Please note that submissions must be completed in English.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

  • Your work will be presented to a distinguished Jury and will get international visibility.
  • Be a part of the Falling Walls network and interact with a wide range of decision-makers, innovators and emerging talents from all over the world. Join an interdisciplinary community that is committed to bringing down barriers to address common challenges.
  • Take your chance to become the Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year in Engineering & Technology and present your breakthrough work to a global audience on 9 November 2023 on our stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.
  • As Science Breakthrough of the Year you will get the opportunity to enjoy the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023, a three-day conference with inspiring keynotes, discussions, and exciting pitches. Be part of a community of the most important researchers and thinkers of our time and discuss breakthroughs with global leaders in science, politics, business, and the media.

We will use our expertise and years of experience in science communication to help make your research accessible and engaging to a wide audience, and to highlight its impact on society.

HOW DOES THE SELECTION PROCESS WORK?

STEP 1 – NOMINATION

Leading actors in science and academia worldwide nominate individual scientists or research groups by submitting a nomination form via our online platform by 15 May 2023. Nominated candidates will be contacted directly and asked to submit further details. Self-nomination is accepted.

 

STEP 2 – 30 FINALISTS

Submissions that meet the standard requirements will be evaluated by a shortlisting jury and the jury chair using our selection criteria (see below) to agree on a list of 30 finalists, who will be officially announced on our website in mid-June. 

 

STEP 3 – 10 WINNERS

Our distinguished jury for Engineering & Technology, chaired by Metin Sitti, will evaluate all finalist applications based on the selection criteria and choose ten winners. The ten winners will be released in mid-August.

 

STEP 4  THE FALLING WALLS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

The respective juries will select the Science Breakthroughs of the Year from the winners of each category. On 9 November, the anniversary of the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall, the Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2023 will take up the stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

WHAT ARE THE SELECTION CRITERIA?

We are specifically looking for projects that address global challenges and represent scientific knowledge in an innovative way. Falling Walls always encourages interdisciplinary approaches to science and seeks outstanding scientists as well as research groups. The four selection criteria are:

  • Breakthrough Potential: How much of a paradigm shift does the research represent? Are there excellent, ground-breaking, recent achievements in their respective fields, nationally and internationally?
  • Level of Innovation: How new and original is this idea?
  • Societal Relevance: How significant is the research for society today and in the future? Is there a positive effect on nature and humanity, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals?
  • Academic Excellence: Is the research of outstanding quality and is it likely to have a significant long-term impact on the research landscape and to contribute towards solving global challenges? Is the research able to translate scientific topics and their complexities in a way that makes them accessible and attractive to large sections of society?

Each evaluation criterion is considered proportionally. Nominations and Self-nominations will be considered and evaluated within the category, but their potential for interdisciplinary problem-solving will also be assessed.

WHEN AND WHERE DOES THE FALLING WALLS SCIENCE SUMMIT TAKE PLACE?

The Falling Walls Science Summit takes place in Berlin.

Save the date: 7 – 9 November 2023.

 

7 November

FALLING WALLS PITCHES

A day of live pitches in the following categories: 

  • Emerging Talents (Falling Walls Lab) for the next generation of outstanding innovators; 
  • Science Engagement (Falling Walls Engage) for inspiring science engagers; Science Start-Ups (Falling Walls Venture) for the science start-up community.

8 November

FALLING WALLS CIRCLE

Our format to connect science and society. Researchers, policymakers, business leaders, and society discuss the biggest challenges we face and the foresight that scientific breakthroughs can offer.

9 November 

BREAKTHROUGH DAY

On 9 November, the anniversary of the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall, the Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2023 will take up the stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about the Nomination and the Self-nomination process, please contact us via email.

Terms and Conditions

Falling Walls Winner Interviews 2023

This year, we invited our Falling Walls Winners to expand on their research through a series of four in-depth interview questions. Take a deep dive into these great minds at the forefront of innovation as they aspire to claim the title of Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023 in the Engineering & Technology category!

PREVIOUS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGHS 

The prestigious title Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year, Engineering & Technology has been awarded to Ting Xu (2022), Francesca Santoro (2021) and Metin Sitti (2020).

The FALLING WALLS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH of the year 2022 in life Sciences

Degrading Plastic: Breaking the Wall of Plastic Waste

Ting Xu is a Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering at Berkeley University in California. Xu has found a ground-breaking way of reducing plastic waste  by harnessing the power of biology: Through the use of enzyme-embedded polymers, she can create triggers that determine when, where and how polymers degrade.

Discover the 2022 Winners 

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Go to Global Call 2023

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