The HUN-REN Secretariat held a scientific conference showcasing the achievements of this year's Róbert Bárány Award recipients on 10 November 2023. Attendees also had the opportunity to delve into the professional journey of Professor Éva Kondorosi, the distinguished recipient of the HUN-REN Excellence Award for the year. The conference, part of the Hungarian Science Festival and hosted at the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences (HUN-REN TTK), featured an opening address by HUN-REN President Balázs Gulyás. He emphasised the mission of integrating research and innovation outputs into the value chain to advance Hungary's societal, economic, and intellectual progress. Additionally, he announced ongoing strategic planning efforts, which include a peer-review based assessment of the current status of the research sites, the identification of potential breakthroughs, and the development of a research strategy, in cooperation with the research sites, that incorporates global best practices and aligns with defined goals.
At the event, András Tompos, the Deputy Director-General of the hosting HUN-REN TTK, also welcomed the participants and briefly presented the research work being conducted at the research centre.
Éva Kondorosi, an internationally acclaimed research professor at the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre in Szeged and the winner of the 2023 HUN-REN Excellence Award, delivered the opening presentation. She recounted key moments from her scientific career, highlighting the influential role models who played a pivotal role in her path to becoming an internationally acclaimed scientist. She discussed the challenges and significant achievements during her career, offering valuable guidance to young researchers. In her opinion, without recognition and appreciation for their work and results, young researchers cannot achieve success. At the same time, she also emphasised the role of good leaders and mentors, who can support the young talents in their professional growth with advice and constructive feedback.
This was followed by presentations from six young researchers who received the Róbert Bárány Award this year.
Ádám Lovas-Kiss, a researcher at the Institute of Aquatic Ecology at the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research, gave a lecture titled 'The role of waterfowl in the dispersal of various organisms.' In his presentation, he discussed his research demonstrating that the propagative and dispersal structures of multiple plant and animal species maintain their viability as they pass through the digestive tract of waterfowl, allowing them to travel long distances. This plays a significant role in the spread of non-native species and the adaptation of organisms to changing climates.
László Imre Dobson, a researcher at the Institute of Molecular Life Sciences at the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, presented the results of his research on these proteins using biophysical and AI-based methods in his lecture titled 'Structural investigation of transmembrane proteins with theoretical methods.' The topology prediction method developed by him is capable of estimating which segments embed into the membrane and indicating the positions of intermediate regions relative to the membrane. This contributes to the understanding of the functioning of transmembrane proteins associated with various diseases.
Gergő Tóth, a researcher at the Institute of Economics at the HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, delivered a lecture titled 'Social networks and spatial inequalities.' In his presentation, he discussed his research that combines the methods of network analysis and econometrics, with a particular emphasis on the role of spatial social networks and the universal social phenomenon of social fragmentation.
Réka Újlaki-Nagy, a researcher at the Institute of History at the HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, presented the results of her English-language monograph published last year in her lecture titled 'Christians or Jews? The Identity of the Transylvanian Sabbatarians.' In her source-research work, she focused on a significant aspect of the 16-17th century Transylvanian intellectual history: the history and religious life of Transylvanian Sabbatarianism that followed the Jewish tradition in various aspects.
Róbert Várdai, a researcher at the Institute of Materials and Environmental Chemistry at the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, gave a lecture titled ‘Polypropylene hybrid composites: structure and properties.’ In his presentation, he discussed his research, where, together with his fellow researchers, they created multi-component hybrid composites. In these composites, alongside stiff fibres, flexible polymer fibres are employed. Through their new concept, they succeeded in developing composite materials with both high stiffness and impact resistance.
Gábor Piszter, a researcher at the Institute of Technical Physics and Materials Science at the HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research, delivered a lecture titled 'Investigation and application of photonic nanoarchitectures of biological origin occurring in butterfly wing scales.' In his presentation, he showcased his research where he investigates the photonic nanostructures present on the wings of blue butterflies using materials science methods and characterizes the properties of the resulting structural colours through optical spectroscopy. His most significant achievement is uncovering the connection between structural colours, nanostructural properties, and their biological function and genetic characteristics.
About the Róbert Bárány Award
The Róbert Bárány Award was instituted to honour exceptional scientific work by HUN-REN researchers aged below 40. In selecting awardees, not only the results attained are considered but also the innovative nature of the scientific work, its inherent potential, and prospects for future advancements, including participation in diverse projects and engagement in international collaborations. For female researchers with children below 14 years, the age criterion for eligibility is increased by two years for each child, capped at a total extension of four years.
The award was presented to nine young researchers on November 9, 2023, at the HUN-REN Annual Award Ceremony at Pesti Vigadó, six of whom introduced their research at the conference organised at the HUN-REN TTK on November 10.