Award for pioneering research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and materials science

The 2025 Manfred Fuchs Prize has been awarded to Pascal Friederich, Tenure-Track Professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), for his groundbreaking work on applying artificial intelligence (AI) in the development of new chemical materials. The research prize, endowed with €10,000, has been awarded by the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities since 2015. It recognizes outstanding scientific achievements by young researchers in Baden-Württemberg who work across disciplines and build new bridges between scientific cultures.

At KIT, Pascal Friederich leads an interdisciplinary research group at the interface of computer science and materials science. Their goal is to radically accelerate the discovery of new materials – for example, for high-performance batteries, novel catalysts, or sustainable technologies. The challenge: the enormous number of possible combinations of chemical elements makes the discovery of promising materials extremely complex. Friederich combines existing scientific knowledge, large materials databases, and machine learning techniques to predict suitable structures and accurately simulate their properties.

Currently, Friederich is also working on a new generation of solar cells in the Helmholtz projects Solar TAP and SOL-AI, in collaboration with researchers from the Institute of Microstructure Technology at KIT. More on this here.

Through this data-driven approach, he is laying the foundation for a new generation of digital materials development – fast, efficient, and resource-conscious. The jury particularly highlighted the innovative link between computer science and the natural sciences, as well as the high societal relevance of the research for key future challenges such as climate protection, energy supply, and public health.

The Manfred Fuchs Prize was established by Dr. Dr. h.c. Manfred Fuchs to support young scientists in the region and to recognize outstanding achievements. It is awarded to early-career researchers who are in the habilitation phase or leading an independent research group.