International SAS Prize 2025 Awarded to Dr. Christophe Marcenat
On Wednesday, 24 September 2025, the Mirror Hall of the Primate’s Palace in Bratislava welcomed distinguished guests from the academic, political, social, and diplomatic spheres. At the ceremonial event, Dr. Martin Venhart, President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), together with the Chair of the SAS Scientific Council, presented the International SAS Prize in Natural Sciences to Dr. Christophe Marcenat of the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique (CEA) and the Néel Institute (CNRS) in Grenoble.
Dr. Marcenat is one of the world’s leading solid-state physicists, widely respected for his pioneering research, which led to the discovery of superconductivity in doped silicon – the fundamental element of today’s semiconductor electronics.
The laudatory address was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Pavol Hvizdoš, SAS Vice-President for Section 1 Sciences, who highlighted the laureate’s scientific achievements:
“Dr. Marcenat’s research focuses on new types of superconductors, which play a key role in the development of modern technologies of the second quantum revolution. He has made significant contributions to the development of unique microcalorimetry methods, enabling the study of materials under extreme conditions – ultra-low temperatures, high pressures, and strong magnetic fields,” noted P. Hvizdoš.
Prof. Peter Samuely from the Institute of Experimental Physics SAS (IEP SAS) in Košice, leader of the group that has been collaborating with the laureate, also addressed the audience. He emphasized Dr. Marcenat’s deep expertise in low-temperature physics and outlined the long-standing cooperation with the Center for Low Temperature Physics at IEP SAS.
“Dr. Christophe Marcenat’s collaboration with the Institute of Experimental Physics SAS has lasted nearly a quarter of a century. It began with research on magnesium diboride (MgB₂) superconductors, whose results we published in 2001 in the top physics journal Physical Review Letters. Today, that paper has nearly 500 citations and has received multiple awards,” stressed P. Samuely.
This close collaboration has also extended into the Horizon 2020 project European Microkelvin Platform. Together with Jozef Kačmarčík, Dr. Marcenat developed a new generation of microcalorimeters operating at even lower temperatures, allowing absolute measurements of specific heat with high resolution. This led, for example, to the exploration of fine structures of quantum oscillations in graphite within a Slovak–French–Japanese collaboration. The joint results were published in Nature Communications in 2023.
Many Slovak doctoral students and young researchers have benefited from Dr. Marcenat’s expertise, training in renowned laboratories in Grenoble. Thanks to his engagement, Slovak low-temperature physics has established itself among the global leaders. The International SAS Prize is thus not only recognition of his outstanding scientific work, but also of his long-term and intensive collaboration with Slovak scientists.
In his acceptance speech, Dr. Marcenat expressed deep gratitude: “I am proud that my colleagues from Košice considered our collaboration so significant that they nominated me. This is a great honor for me, and it is recognition not only of myself, but of our entire group in Grenoble.”
The ceremony was hosted by Dr. Tomáš Hromádka, SAS Vice-President for Science, Research, and Innovation. The program was complemented by musical works of M. Ravel, A. Dvořák, and A. Vivaldi, performed by the Mucha Quartet.
Prepared by: Katarína Gáliková
Photo: Martin Bystriansky
Video: Matej Pok