Angelika Vlachou

The nominating institution Max-Planck-Gesellschaft on the breakthrough: The quest for unusual materials, such as metallic hydrogen or room-temperature superconductors, has been going on for decades. Mikhail Eremets has pioneered high pressure experiments to induce such states, which brought about innovations in materials science, but also high-pressure technology. The group has…

Esports (competitive gaming) is rapidly growing in K12 schools across the nation – and is leaving female, trans, and nonbinary students behind. This “esports access gap” is denying the “football scholarships of the future” to students based on their gender. In 2019, J made history by founding the first ever…

Nominated by: Ruhr-Universität Bochum Presented by: Alexander Kanitz

We have developed a novel therapeutic for SARS-CoV-2 that relies on nanobodies – antibody fragments from alpacas and llamas. Combining protein engineering, structural biology, and virology, we found that multi-component molecules binding the virus on two surfaces lead to robust neutralization of wildtype virus and newly emerging variants. Unlike most…

The nominating institution Creative Destruction Lab on the breakthrough: CDL operates 9 sites located in top-tier institutions that translate regional excellence in research and innovation into entrepreneurial and commercial success. The CDL program employs an objectives-based mentoring process to enhance the performance of technical founders who learn from the insights…

The nominating institution National Research Council of Canada on the breakthrough: The pioneered development of quantum dot lasers has revolutionized modern-day digital communications. This technology boosts the fiber communications-network backbone, thereby improving fixed wireless access for rural communities and optical satellite communication for the truly remote. This technological capacity leads…

Nominated by: Terence Lee, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Presented by: Xiao Yang

This intelligent project will monitor health status, enhance self-management and predict worsening of health and alert for action; thus, improve health outcomes, independence, morbidity and mortality.   Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Digital Health, Med-Tech, Mobile Health.

The digital coach goes far beyond traditional reactive ‘FAQ-bot’ approaches by pro-actively engaging with students and starting conversations to ensure they settle into university life with the best support possible; making personalised recommendations for societies to join, asking how students are feeling and nudging students towards activities that can help…

My project aims to reduce trash pollution in an at-risk community with schools as the vessels of social innovation, by permanently integrating zero-waste education and expanding community engagement.   Tags: Climate change, Education, Environment & Nature, Ocean pollution, Social Cohesion.