Discover this year’s Falling Walls Finalists

Finalists 2023

The Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023 is awarded once in each category, from Life Sciences to Science Start-ups/Falling Walls Venture.

Click on a category below to learn more about the Finalists and their projects.

Life Sciences

Meet our Life Sciences Finalists

Adam Cohen, Harvard University, Imaging bioelectricity

Akimitsu Okamoto, University of Tokyo, Anticancer Nucleic Acids

Alexandre Persat, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Antibiotic resistance using a sense of touch

Anthony Genot, Helmholtz Munich, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) / University of Tokyo, Computation and data storage with DNA

Ben Boursi, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Aviv University / University of Pennsylvania, Cancer treatment using ecological approaches of microbial modulation

Chris Greening, Monash University, Discovering and harnessing air-powered life

Chuan Heu, University of Chicago, Chromatin regulation by reversible RNA methylation

Claudia Höbartner, University of Würzburg, Molecular evolution of RNA-modifying ribozymes

Elaine Hsiao, University of California Los Angeles, Improvement of maternal-fetal health

Frank Aarestrup, Technical University of Denmark, Metagenomic analysis of sewage for global surveillance

Winkler, University of Heidelberg, New concept of cancer: About our nervous system and malignant networks

Friedrich Kragler, Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Transgene-free Cas9/CRISPR gene-edited plants

Jakob Seidlitz & Richard Bethlehem, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia & University of Pennsylvania, Measuring brain health

Jean-Laurent Casanova, Rockefeller University, Infectious diseases driven by human genetic and immunological determinants

Jean-Marie Volland, Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, Bacterial cell biology

Jeffery Kelly, Laboratory for Research in Complex Systems, Treatment of neurodegenerative disease by inhibiting protein aggregation

Karen Christman, University of California San Diego, Cost-effective, minimally-invasive regenerative medicine

Linfa Wang, Duke-NUS Medical School, Bats and viruses

Manuel Etzkorn, Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf, Sustainable high-precision medicine

Marc Dewey, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Noninvasive imaging of coronary artery disease

Martin Fussenegger, ETH Zurich, Metabolic fuel cells, fighting the energy crisis of the body

Michael Rout & Brian Chait, Rockefeller University, Combatting disease with next-generation nanobodies

Pieter Roelfsema, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, The development of a visual brain prosthesis for blind users

Robert Seder & Peter Crompton, National Institutes of Health, Malaria prevention and elimination with monoclonal antibodies

Rupert Seidl, Technical University of Munich, Forest reorganization

Sarah Ellen O’Connor, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Accessing nature’s chemistry

Stefan Michael Pfister, Hopp Children’s Cancer Center Heidelberg (KiTZ) / German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) / Heidelberg University Hospital, Molecular brain tumor classification

Stefanie Hartmann, Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, Molecular diagnostics by automated blood cell, plasma and biomarker separation

Tobias Erb, Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Photosynthesis 2.0

Zihe Liu & Jens Nielsen, Chalmers University of Technology & Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Yeast-based biorefinery

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Physical Sciences

Meet our Physical Sciences Finalists

Alexey Berdyugin, National University of Singapore, Giant room-temperature magnetoresistance

Andrew Forbes, University of the Witwatersrand, Structured light, thereby advancing applications and fundamental science alike

Arne Thomas, Technische Universität Berlin, Storing the energy of sunlight

Baojing Gu, Zhejiang University, PM2.5 reduction

Bernd Nowack, Empa – Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Safe new materials

Bernhard Hidding, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, X-ray lasers

Christine Silberhorn, Paderborn University, Feed forward and time-multiplexing: the missing ingredients for photonic quantum technologies

Di Li, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dynamic universe

Francesca Ferlaino & Thomas Pohl, University of Innsbruck and Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) & Aarhus University, New phases of matter

Gerald Gabrielse, Northwestern University, Tackling the mystery of the physical universe using one dancing electron

Hong Tang, Yale University, First chip-sized titanium-doped sapphire laser

Ioannis Stefanou, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, Preventing earthquakes, save lives and fight climate change

Joaquin Silvestre-Albero, Universidad de Alicante, Towards a carbon neutral society

Keshav Dani, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate University, Momentum-forbidden dark excitons

Leo Gross, IBM Research Europe Zurich, Resolving single molecules

Libor Šmejkal, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Energy losses in nanoelectronics

Madjid Mohseni, University of British Columbia, Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in water: removal & defluorination

Manfred Fiebig, ETH Zurich, Visualizing hidden forms of order and functionalities in materials

Michael Campbell, CERN, Bringing quantum particle imaging from CERN to the clinic, space and to classrooms

Mikhail Lukin, Harvard University, Quantum information processing

Monika Ritsch-Marte, Medical University of Innsbruck, Holographic wavefront shaping and sensing for biomedical research

Natasha Tomm & Sahand Mahmoodian, Glisk & University of Sydney, Quantum technologies using light

Nirit Dudovich, Weizmann Institute of Science, Recording the fastest movies in nature

Pablo Jarillo-Herrero, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Twistronics

Philipp del Hougne, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS – IETR) / Université de Rennes, Reflectionless programmable signal routers built off the anti-laser

Stevan Nadj-Perge, California Institute of Technology, New unconventional superconductors in carbon materials through substrate engineering

Thomas Herrmannsdörfer, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Magnetic-field assisted therapy for neurodegenerative diseases

Thomas Klinger, Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Fusion power

Valentina Emiliani, Vision Institute, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), Intact brain manipulation at cellular resolution using holographic light

Vivek Polshettiwar, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Achieving CO2 net zero using black gold

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Engineering & Technology

Meet our Engineering & Technology Finalists

Asbjørn Arvad Jørgensen, Danish Technical University-Electro, Micro chip-based optical frequency comb generating data channels using the light from a single chip

Brad Nelson, ETH Zurich, Magnetically guided microcatheter

Björn Ommer, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, A generative Artificial Intelligence democratizing the creation of visual content

Bruce Rittmann, Arizona State University, Membrane-film technology

Cao Thang Dinh, Queen’s University, Electrochemical carbon dioxide conversion to hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals

Claire Wilhelm, Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS), (Nano)-(magneto)-technological tools for exploring and manipulating living systems

Daniela Blanco, Sunthetics, Easy-to-use machine-learning platform that leverages small data to enable up to 15x faster development

Eric Appel, Stanford University, Novel class of green wildland retardant gels

Fabio Novelli, Ruhr University Bochum, An ultra-fast liquid switch at 1000x gigahertz

Huang Bolong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Anocatalysts for broad carbon-strategic applications of sustainable energy

Huanyu Cheng, Penn State University, Standalone stretchable device platform that integrates sustained power supplies with highly sensitive on-skin sensors and wireless transmission modules

Ivan Schuller, University of California San Diego, Building a machine that works like the human brain

Jodie Lutkenhaus, Texas A&M University, Organic batteries utilize active electrode materials comprised of organic small molecules or polymers

Ju-Hyuck Lee, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Micro/nanoparticle removal system based on electrophoresis

Lining Yao, Carnegie Mellon University, Autonomous self-burying seed carriers for aerial seeding

Li Zhang , Chinese University of Hong Kong, Wirelessly-powered soft medical devices that can revolutionise clinical therapies

Mark Stillings, University of Strathclyde, Direct carbon capture in rocks

Mohamed-Slim Alouini, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Combination of connections over the whole electromagnetic spectrum

Neeti Pokhriyal, American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, Prediction and mapping of poverty, inequality, and associated deprivations

Néstor Guijarro Carratala, University of Alicante, Making valuable petrochemicals

Omid Veiseh, Rice University, Tuning the surface properties of medical devices for improved biocompatibility

Po-Chun Hsu, University of Chicago, Ambient thermal radiation to building envelopes

Scott Oliver, University of California, Santa Cruz, Generating hydrogen at room temperature and pressure

Sheng Xu, University of California San Diego, Wearable sensors can continuously and noninvasively detect many signals from the human body

Shih Chi Chen, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Revolutionary nanoscale 3D printing platform based on femtosecond projection

Steve Albrecht, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Perovskite-based tandem solar cell efficiencies

Wei Gao, California Institute of Technology, Wearable biosensors

Xiaodong Chen, Nanyang Technological University, Overcoming the challenge of fragile connection in stretchable devices

Xin Zhang, Boston University, Low-cost, intelligent metamaterials, featuring a self-adaptive response that selectively amplifies the magnetic field

Zuankai Wang, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Heterogenous integration of materials with opposite thermal properties

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Social Sciences & Humanities

Meet our Social Sciences and Humanities Finalists

Adam Kuper, London School of Economics and Political Science, The future of museums: From colonial acquisitions to cosmopolitan exhibitions

Arline Geronimus, University of Michigan, Population health equity: Applying weathering theory

Beatriz Magaloni, Stanford University, Brutal policing practices in democratic societies

Graziella Moraes Dias da Silva, Geneva Graduate Institute, Political opportunities for anti-racism policies

Håvard Hegre, Peace Research Institute Oslo / Uppsala University, Anticipatory action: The Violence and Impacts Early-Warning System

Ilona Magdalena Otto, Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, University of Graz, Climate action

Jackson Lu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Breaking the bamboo ceiling of Asians’ career ceilings

James Crawford, independent, Reimagining the concept of borders

Jeff Sebo, New York University, Multispecies justice, resilience, and sustainability

Jessica Hernandez, University of Washington, Achieving climate justice through indigenous science and land rights

Jonathan Birch, London School of Economics and Political Science, Constructing foundations for a science of animal sentience

Jonathan Harrington, Institute for Phonetics and Speech Processing, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Understanding why the sounds of languages change

Laura Martin, Williams College, Ecological restoration and designing wildness

Lori Khatchadourian, Adam T. Smith & Ian Lindsay, Cornell University & Purdue University, Cultural erasure: Saving the walls of humanity’s past

Louise Amoore, Durham University, Ethical societies in the age of algorithms

Mariaelena Huambachano, Syracuse University, Rematriating indigenous food systems

Maria-Luisa Mendez, Universidad Católica de Chile, Spatial inequality and its impact on social cohesion

Matthias Braun, University of Bonn, The ethics of digital twins: Safeguarding control about the human body

Michael Ungar, Dalhousie University, An improved model of resilience

Mirjam Sarah Brusius, German Historical Institute London, Museums: Breaking the wall to history for all

Nita Farahany, Duke University, Defending the right to think freely in the age of neurotechnology

Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Cornell University, Against decolonization. Taking African agency seriously

Paul Behrens, Leiden University, Towards a healthier food system for the planet and society

Peter Frankopan, Oxford University, The Earth transformed: An untold history

Peter Hedström, Martin Arvidsson & Francois Collet, Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University & Nuffield College, Oxford, Gender segregation

Pumla Dineo Gqola, Nelson Mandela University, The Female Fear Factory

Sergei Nirenburg & Marjorie McShane, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Ethical, self-aware, explanation-capable, trustworthy artificial intelligence

Susanne Röhr, Massey University, Brain health inequity and dementia prevention

Tali Nates, Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre, Remembering and connecting to the past: Memory activism in action.

Vineeta Yadav, Pennsylvania State University, Rights and liberties in religious societies

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Art & Science

Meet our Art & Science Finalists

Alexander Peterhänsel, Technical University of Applied Sciences Amberg-Weiden, AI-based biometric scoring

Alexandra Dementieva, Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Brussels, “Source of Energy”

Ana María Gómez López, Sandberg Institute / Royal Academy of Fine Art, Inoculate

Bram Ellens, Artist, Redefining our relationship with technology and robotics in particular

Christa Sommerer & Laurent Mignonneau, Interface Cultures University of Art and Design Linz, “The Artwork as a Living System”

Claudia Müller, Xirius, Art and science divulgation

Claudia Schnugg & Iris Long, Freelance Curator & ArtScience Researcher, Cosmological elements

Dietmar Offenhuber, Northeastern University, Community-driven air-quality monitoring

Eduardo Kac, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Art beyond earth

Elaine Chew, King’s College London, Understanding music’s effect on the heart

Elisa Storelli, Elisa Storelli, vorstellen.network

Ferdi Alici, OUCHHH STUDIO, Creating artistic self-portrait of humanity with AI and data

Giuseppe Lo Schiavo, MUSE, Sintetica

Greg Dunn, Greg Dunn Design, Understanding the complexity of the human brain

Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Independent, Using art to reveal xenotransplantation research

Helena Nikonole & Lucy Ojomoko, Independent, Self-diagnostic through smell

Janet Laurence, University of New South Wales, Experiential interconnectedness of care for our nature

Jennifer Willet, University of Windsor, Biotechnology and the creative arts

José Fernando Andrade, InnativeLab, Collective brain synchronizations

Margaret Wertheim, Institute For Figuring, Art, science and gender inclusion

Margherita Pevere, Margherita Pevere Studio, Vulnerabilities

Mark IJzerman, independent, Unsustainable growth: reimagining the port’s future

masharu (they / them), Museum of Edible Earth, Museum of edible earth

Natalia Rivera & Jung Hsu, Universität der Künste Berlin, Resist like bacteria

Ofer Grunwald, Independent artist, Creating dynamic paintings with live mycelium

Omar Costa Hamido, University of Coimbra, Quantum computer music

Sheung Yiu, Aalto University, Resolution limit in earth observation

Sophie Falkeis, Studio Sophie Falkeis, Planetary futures and multi-species societies

Sria Chatterjee, Paul Mellon Centre, Yale University, Arts and health storytelling

Susanna Hertrich, Academy of Art and Design Basel FHNW, Linking animals, sensory augmentation and fiction with information networks

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Science & Innovation Management

Meet our Science & innovation Management Finalists

Abdoulaye Diabate, Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Sante, Gene drive for malaria elimination

José Antonio Canchola González, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Open access: Empowering educators and scholars in Latin America

Babita Paudel-Bhattarai, Center for Natural and Applied Sciences, Reducing gender disparity in the STEM field in Nepal

Carlos Garcia de Leaniz, Swansea University / Blue Rivers Foundation, From broken rivers to free flowing rivers

Contimi Kenfack Mouafo, 3 E’s 4 Africa, Climate research in Africa

Edmund Wessels, Vas MedTech & UCT MedTech, Women’s healthcare in disadvantaged communities

Eucharia Nwaichi, University of Port Harcourt, Restore our land to health

Fernanda Staniscuaski, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Equality in science: Empowering mothers in STEM

Florian Montel, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pharmaceutical industry and academia for the benefit of patients with opnMe.com

Huadong Guo, International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals, Big data for SDGs

Ido Davidesco, University of Connecticut, Real-world neuroscience: Brain-to-brain synchrony in classrooms

Jo Aggarwal, Wysa, Clinically effective mental health support

Josh Nicholson, scite, Smart-Citations citations

Juan Armando Torres Munguía, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Enhancing knowledge on pandemics

Kanika Sharma, Hapchi Pvt Ltd, Child safety education

Lopamudra Das Roy, Breast Cancer Hub, STEM to community, grassroots sustainable solutions saving lives globally

Manan Roy Choudhury, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad University of Technology, Data, cyber and financial fraudulence using arcrea formula

Marion Sumari-de Boer, Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute, Effects of climate change on health among Maasai children

Mehak Mumtaz, iLoF – Intelligent Lab on Fiber, Digital library of personalized disease biomarkers

Milan Šveřepa, Inclusion Europe, Full rights and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities

Nicholas Coles, Stanford University, Collaborative social science

Obed Ogega, African Academy of Sciences, Research and innovation exchanges within Africa and with Europe

Patrick Starke, TU Wien Innovation Incubation Center, Research integrity

Paulina Carmona Mora, University of California-Davis, USA and Global Young Academy, Inclusive, diverse and collective science leadership

Rajat Pandya, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP), “Fauna” – point of care diagnostics platform

Ramon Flecha, University of Barcelona, ALLINTERACT. Widening and diversifying citizen engagement in science

Robert Kaczmarczyk, LAION e.V., Breaking up AI monopolies to Democratize Large-Scale AI

Sename Agbodjinou, LAfricaine architecture, HubCity, From silicon villages to a global vernacular smart city

Stefanie Schneider, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, ARTigo – social image tagging

Susanne Beck, LBG Open Innovation in Science Center (LBG OIS Center) & Copenhagen Business School, Understanding How AI influences openness and collaboration in science

Taiana Kourotchkina, Quo Artis Art and Science Foundation, Connecting art, science and ecology

Tim Rädsch, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), High-quality datasets for biomedical machine learning

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SCIENCE ENGAGEMENT (Falling Walls Engage)

Meet our Science Engagement Finalists

Zeinab Khalil, Soils for Science, Australia

Karen Verstraelen, Amai! What an amazing AI-dea!, Belgium

Gianpiero Petruzziello, MOSAIC – Mission-oriented Swafs to advance innovation through co-creation, Belgium

Boris Worm, Ocean School, Canada

Marianne Mader, ScienceUpFirst, Canada

Claudio Canales, Concierto Sentido: Scientific Concerts, ChileCecilia Manosa Nyblon, We Still Have a Chance: 12 Climate Stories for 12 Days of COP27 between the UK and Egypt, Egypt

Sonny YDE, Vis ma vie de Chercheur.euses, France

Kelly Achenbach, COESO: Collaborative Engagement on Societal Issues, France

Mike von der Nahmer, Growing Wise: Powering Education through Art, Science, and Human Experience., Germany

Fabian Feutlinske, Natural Entrepreneurs – Nature-inspired Entrepreneurship in Schools, Germany

Audrey Podann, Clowning for New Research, Germany

Menelaos Sotiriou, Learning Science Through Theater, Greece

Julián Amorín, Dr. Demo’s Laboratory-Science Show, Guatemala

Megha Saklani, Mobile Science Lab : Taking Science Lab to School Children, India

Eran Tauber, Sleep – Third of Life, Israel

Andrea Brunello, Augmented Lectures, Italy

Masahiko Inami, JST ERATO Inami JIZAI Body Project, Japan

Archie Forpoh, Tech for High School Initiative, Liberia

Rodrick Sambakunsi, One for All, All for One, a vaccine engagement project., Malawi

Nicola Veitch, Parasite Street Science: Talk About Tsetses, Malawi

Chuck Chuan Ng, Vetiver Bioremediation (Vet-BioR), Malaysia

Emma Clarke, Equal by Nature, Malta

Maria Gutierrez, Community monitoring: collective diagnosis and action plan for the recovery of the Manialtepec River watershed., Mexico

Gaspar Come, Bate-Papo Let’s Talk About Vaccines!, Mozambique

Sharon Unsworth, Kletskoppen, Netherlands

Jessie Waalwijk, A word about tomorrow, Netherlands

Andrew Mills, Tūhura Tuarangi – Aotearoa in Space, New Zealand

Kelechi Ezeudensi, NEURO-G PROJECT, Nigeria

Reidun Norvoll, YouCount, Norway

Emily (Emi) Koch, Coast 2 Coast, Peru

Mark Peñalver, The Flow of the River: A Community-based Water Monitoring System, Philippines

Ilídio André Costa, CoAstro: @n Astronomy Condo, Portugal

Israel Smart, One-Child Africa, Rwanda

Samuel Kovacik, Vedátor, Slovakia

Adivhaho Bridgette Mphaphuli, STEM-Pro, South Africa

Sibusiso Biyela, Ilukuluku: Let’s Talk Science In Our Own Language, South Africa

Mayumi Manamperi, The community-directed health care volunteers model for the leishmaniasis disease control in Medawachchiya PHI Area , Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka., Sri Lanka

Julia Brink, The Plastic Experiment, Sweden

David Pamies, Animal experimentation and 3Rs: Engaging teachers and students, Switzerland

Lucas Mndewa, Turning the Hazardous Organic Food wastes into farm input solutions to boost the incomes of the rural poor, Tanzania, United Republic of

Sinead Rhodes, EPIC Think Learn, United Kingdom

Heather Doran, The Evidence Chamber, United Kingdom

Bob Christer, Atelier Labs, United Kingdom

Anna Middleton, Citizens’ Jury on Human Embryo Editing, United Kingdom

Sam Gregson, The Ministry of Sense: Hunting the Higgs, United Kingdom

Yamilée Toussaint Beach, Empowering Girls through STEM and Dance, United States of America

Hassan Farah, Our Future Is Science, United States of America

Anna Voelker, SciAccess: Breaking Down Barriers to STEM, United States of America

Nkosana Masuku, Sciency, Zimbabwe

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