Rashid Sunyaev receives King Faisal International Prize for Science

The King Faisal Foundation in Riyadh announced that this year's King Faisal Award in the science category will go to Rashid Sunyaev, director at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) in Garching. Sunyaev will be honoured for his pathbreaking contributions to astrophysics and cosmology. He shares the prize with Sir Richard Henry Friend, FRS, of the University of Cambridge, who is doing research in the physics and engineering of semi-conductor devices. The award comes with a prize money of 200,000 US dollars plus a 200 g gold medal.

The official citation states: “Sunyaev has made pioneering and fundamental contributions to astrophysics and cosmology. His theoretical work on the cosmic background radiation laid the foundation for the observational exploration of the structure of the universe. His work on black holes and binary stars was critical in advancing the field of X-ray astronomy.”

Over the past 31 years, a total of 42 scholars from 10 different countries have won the King Faisal International Prize for Science. The prize is awarded in five disciplines. The winners will receive their awards in March in a special ceremony held in Riyadh under the auspices of the King of Saudi Arabia.


Further information:

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