Tayler Hebner: Chemistry/Materials

For her contributions to the design of liquid crystalline elastomers as actuating and dynamic materials. Her work connects fundamental characterization to functional properties, enabling application-driven design of LCEs.

Jianghao Xiong: Applications

For his outstanding research on newly emerging liquid crystal polarization holograms. His contributions include the discovery of tilted helical structure in reflective polarization hologram, advancements of fabrication techniques with high degree-of-freedom and scalability, and inventions of versatile adaptive optical systems for high-performance near-eye displays.

Olena Iadlovska: Physics/Experimental

For contributions to liquid crystal physics / optics with a PhD thesis entitled "Electro-Optics of Oblique Helicoidal Cholesterics".

Mingzhu Liu (Beihang University, China)

For contributions related to liquid crystal materials chemistry, particularly liquid crystalline elastomer (LCE) microparticles. His interdisciplinary research background built up a solid foundation for his future success.

Miha Ravnik: Physics/Simulations

For contributions to physics/simulations of liquid crystals at University of Ljubljana.

Dong Ki Yoon: Materials Chemistry/Experimental

For advancements in stimuli-responsive liquid crystalline materials for fabricating nano- and microstructures in optical and sensor applications.

Tom Lubenski (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA)

For his many contributions to the theory of liquid crystals and soft matter. He has conducted research on a wide range of mostly soft-matter subjects including phase transitions and critical phenomena; broken-symmetry hydrodynamics; micro-rheology; lipid and elastic membranes along with their lamellar phases. He is best known, for (1) establishing an equivalence between smectic liquid crystals and superconductors and (2) for predicting the existence of the Twist-grain-boundary (TGB) phase and its analogy with the vortex phase of type II superconductors. These predictions where quickly identified experimentally, preparing the way for investigating several other kinds of grain-boundary phases (for example in chiral smectic-C’s). In collaboration with experimentalists, he provided a theoretical framework for nematic order in colloids consisting of spherical particles dispersed in a nematic fluid. This work has inspired one of the most vibrant sectors of liquid crystal research. He and Paul Chaikin wrote the book “Principles of Condensed matter Physics” that is widely used in graduate-level courses.

Paweł Pierański

For your significant contributions to liquid crystals dedicated to the decoration of the director field at nematic/air interfaces, Rayleigh-Bénard instability in nematics, nematodynamics, shear flow effects in SmC*, colloidal crystals, and seminal and crucial work on blue phases, anchoring transitions, lyotropic liquid crystals, cellulosic filaments, generation of umbilics by magnets and flows, captive disclinations and the dowser texture.