Eni Award 2019: the Young Researcher of the Year is from Politecnico

The Eni Award, which has come to its twelfth edition, assigns the Young Researcher of the Year prize to two researchers under the age of 30 who have received their PhD in an Italian university. This year, the winner is Alberto Pizzolato, who conducted his PhD research in the group of Professor Vittorio Verda at the Energy Department. The award was established in 2007 to promote a smarter use of energy resources and encourage new generations of researchers in the field.

Alberto Pizzolato ideated and developed innovative computational methods able to generate affordable, efficient and durable energy devices. These innovations are obtained through special algorithms that let them evolve in complex and functional architectures, with a freedom to morph comparable to the one of the most complex and functional natural systems like lungs, snowflakes and river deltas. When coupled to 3D printing, this approach to design enables a new and powerful way of making things in the energy industry, quickly converting promising technologies into viable products. The doctoral research conducted at Politecnico di Torino and University of Colorado Boulder accelerates the introduction of clean energy technologies and fosters the design of novel smart materials for energy storage and conversion.

“I am honored to be the winner of such a prestigious and important award. I believe that the methods developed during this research can contribute to a new type of innovation, with high potential for the energy field. I want to thank everyone with whom I had to pleasure to collaborate during this exciting academic journey” says Alberto Pizzolato. The award ceremony will take place at the Quirinal Palace in October, in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella.