Battery researchers win $3M Vietnamese awards

The VinFuture Grand Prize was given to Professor Martin Andrew Green of Australia, a pioneer in the field of photovoltaics who developed the Passivated Emitter and Rear Cell; Professor Stanley Whittingham, a British-American chemist considered the founding father of lithium-ion batteries; Professor Rachid Yazami, a Moroccan scientist best known for his role in the development of the graphite anode (negative pole) for lithium-ion batteries and research into fluoride ion batteries; and Professor Akira Yoshino, a Japanese chemist who created the first safe, production-viable lithium-ion battery.

After receiving the award, Green thanked scientists across the world for their endless efforts to seek solutions to help people gradually turn from fossil fuels to more sustainable energies.

He thanked Vietnamese billionaire Pham Nhat Vuong and Vuong’s wife for founding the award, and his wife, calling her his own “renewable energy.”

There were special awards worth $500,000 each for innovators in emerging fields and from developing countries and women innovators.

Vietnamese professor Vo Tong Xuan and Indian-American professor Gurdev Singh Khush received the award for innovators from developing countries.

They were honored for their work on rice varieties with high yields and disease resistance, contributing to global food security.

Vietnamese professor Vo Tong Xuan (R) and Indian American professor Gurdev Singh Khush receive the VinFuture award in Hanoi, Dec. 20, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

Xuan, 83, an agronomist who created many high-quality rice varieties, thanked the award council on behalf of his late wife, his students at Can Tho University and millions of farmers in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s rice basket.

He said the use of new rice strains has helped diversify production in the delta.

The award for innovators in emerging fields was given to Professor Daniel Joshua Drucker of Canada, Professor Joel Francis Habener of the U.S., Professor Jens Juul Holst of Denmark, and Associate Professor Svetlana Mojsov of the U.S., for their discovery of the role of glucagon-like peptide 1, creating the foundation for effective treatment of diabetes and obesity.

The Special Prize for Female Innovators went to Professor Susan Solomon of the U.S. for the discovery of the ozone depletion mechanism in Antarctica, contributing to the establishment of the Montreal Protocol.

She studied the unusually large hole in the ozone layer caused by chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) over Antarctica, laying the groundwork for bringing the protocol to fruition. It is one of the most successful international accords in tackling global environmental concerns, contributing to a global agreement to phase out ozone-depleting compounds like CFCs.

Professor Susan Solomon (L) from the U.S. receives the VinFuture award from Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha in Hanoi, Dec. 20, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

The VinFuture Prize is given away by the VinFuture Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 2020 by Vuong and his wife Pham Thu Huong.

It aims to recognize transformative scientific and technological innovations capable of making significant changes to the lives of millions around the world.