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.