Czech physicist Tomáš Jungwirth is one of the most important figures in contemporary world science thanks to his groundbreaking research in the field of spintronics. In 2024, he gained awards on several prestigious platforms, confirming his key contribution to scientific knowledge.
1 Jungwirth is one of the world's most cited scientists
Tomáš Jungwirth was again named to the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2024 list, an award given to the top one percent of the most highly cited scientists in the world. The list is based on an analysis of citations of scientific articles published over the last decade and assesses both the frequency of citations and the quality and contribution of scientific research.
"We recognize outstanding scientists whose work is shaping the future of science, technology and academia on a global level. We honour not only their scientific achievements, but also their impact on innovation and on solving global challenges that are changing the world," the Clarivate's selection process was explained by Bar Veinstein.
This year's list of Highly Cited Researchers includes 6,636 scientists from more than 1,200 institutions in 59 countries. The list of the most represented institutions with 308 award-winning researchers is topped by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, followed by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the German Max Planck Society. Among the scientists associated with Czech institutions, seven experts were listed this year, including environmental microbiologist Petr Baldrián and ecologist and botanist Petr Pyšek.
2 Science: discovery of altermagnetism among the greatest scientific achievements of 2024
The research led by Tomas Jungwirth has been ranked among the ten most important scientific discoveries of the year by the Science journal, with the potential to influence the future development of technologies including spintronics
Since 2019, a team from the Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences in Prague, together with international partners, has published a series of papers describing theoretically unusual magnetic materials. In 2021, the theorists predicted that these materials form a third fundamental type of magnets, termed altermagnets. In February 2024, the first direct evidence of altermagnetism was published in Nature, followed by microscopic images of the magnetic ordering in these materials. The results showed that altermagnets combine the properties of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, making them unique.
3 Selected as one of the "50 Scientists That Inspire"
Another important recognition was naming Tomáš Jungwirth to the prestigious 50 Scientists That Inspire list, compiled by Cell Press on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. This list highlights scientists whose work inspires not only colleagues in the scientific community, but also future generations.
The editors of the various journals under the Cell Press umbrella nominated researchers whose careers and discoveries transcend the boundaries of scientific disciplines and contribute to the advancement of innovation. As part of this award, Jungwirth gave an interview where he described his career in science and the factors that have influenced his work.
The work of Tomáš Jungwirth and his colleagues is of fundamental importance not only science itself, but also for practical applications that can influence the future of technology and society.