Nicola Marzari, a leading figure in computational materials science and a long-standing member of the MaX Centre of Excellence, has been honoured by the American Physical Society for his contributions to materials physics.
Marzari has been named the recipient of the 2026 David Adler Lectureship Award in the Field of Materials Physics, a prestigious recognition that each year celebrates researchers who have made a lasting impact on the field through outstanding research, insightful reviews, and inspiring lectures.
The citation for Marzari’s award highlights his “new theory and method developments that have advanced the predictive power of first-principles calculations, and his sustained leadership and community-building in computational materials physics.”
For decades, Marzari’s work has helped shape the field. From pioneering theoretical frameworks to developing open tools that empower researchers worldwide, his contributions have enabled new ways to predict and understand the properties of materials, one of the cornerstones of MaX mission.
Reflecting on the award, Marzari commented:
“It is always deeply honouring to be recognized by peers, and for an award that has such a distinguished history. Equally satisfying is the recognition of the impact of electronic-structure calculations in science and technology, and their role in building scientific communities worldwide.”
Currently, Marzari serves as Director of NCCR MARVEL, Professor and Chair of Theory and Simulation of Materials at EPFL, and Head of the Laboratory for Materials Simulations at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). He will take up the Cavendish Professorship of Physics at the University of Cambridge in September 2026.
Marzari will officially receive the award during the 2026 APS Global Physics Summit in Denver, Colorado, where he will give an invited lecture on electronic-structure simulations.
The MaX CoE community warmly congratulates Nicola Marzari on this remarkable achievement: a well-deserved recognition of his scientific excellence and his lasting impact on the global materials science community.
Read more about the award here: Marzari receives the 2026 David Adler Award – News – NCCR MARVEL