The Palladium Global Science Award announces five 2026 winners advancing new palladium applications

The Palladium Global Science Award (PGSA) has announced the five winners of its 2026 edition, selected from more than 150 applications submitted by researchers in 33 countries. The winning research spans pharmaceutical development, clean-water technologies, hydrogen sensing, advanced photonics and next-generation microelectronics, highlighting the breadth of emerging applications being explored for palladium. The winners will be honoured at a gala ceremony in Seoul on 19 November 2026, held as part of the inaugural Palladium Future Forum.

The five researchers have been recognised across the Best Scientific Development, Best Scientific Article, and Best Applied Concept nominations and will share a total prize fund of $350,000. Their work demonstrates how research into palladium can open new pathways for technological development across a diverse range of scientific and industrial fields.

This year, the top prize of $120,000 in the Best Scientific Development nomination goes to Hanmin Huang of the University of Science and Technology of China, who presented work on cyclopalladated catalysts, with potential applications in pharmaceutical development. Second place, with a $60,000 prize, has been awarded to Bruce E. Rittmann, Regents’ Professor of Environmental Engineering and Director of the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute of Arizona State University. His work on a palladium-based membrane catalyst film reactor offers a promising approach to advancing water purification technologies, pointing to a major breakthrough in the field.

In the Best Scientific Article nomination, Valentyn Volkov has been recognized with the top prize of $80,000 for his research into palladium diselenide as a platform for advanced nanophotonic and optoelectronic applications. Volkov is the co-founder and CTO of XPANCEO, an AI-powered deep-tech initiative working on smart contact lens technologies. Second place in the nomination, with a $40,000 prize, goes to Sebastian Thomas of Monash University, Australia. His research into atomic hydrogen and palladium using microelectrode techniques provides new insights with potential applications in hydrogen sensing, energy conversion and corrosion control.

The $50,000 prize in the Best Applied Concept nomination goes to Dominik Polanski. His proposal enables the integration of high-performing palladium cobalt oxide conductors into semiconductors and advanced packaging at lower processing temperatures. The concept has the potential to help move an advanced conductor from laboratory-scale research towards practical applications in next-generation microelectronics, transforming a laboratory-grade conductor into a viable solution for real-world devices.

Prof. Francis Verpoort, Chair of the International Expert Council, said: “This has been a remarkable season for the award. We saw strong research across hydrogen and solar energy, battery technologies, the chemical industry, environmental technologies, pharmaceutical and medical applications, and electronics. This diversity demonstrates that the future of palladium is not tied to a single sector. The role of the Palladium Global Science Award is to identify emerging research directions with the potential to create new applications for palladium and connect them with the wider technology and industrial ecosystem. Our five winners represent exceptional scientific achievement and, importantly, the potential to translate scientific discoveries into technologies with real-world impact. The Council reviewed submissions from every continent, and the strength of the field made our task genuinely difficult, in the best possible way. My warmest congratulations to the winners, whose work speaks for itself. I would also like to thank every researcher who entered: the prizes can go to only a handful of people, but every application we received helps to advance palladium science, cross-industry innovation, and the economy of the future. We are grateful to all of them.”

The Palladium Global Science Award is held with the support of its General Partner, the China Precious Metals Industry Committee (CPMIC). The CPMIC is a subdivision of the China National Resources Recycling Association (CRRA), and a key supporter of the development of new technologies and international cooperation in the precious metals industry. The leading industry body played a key role in supporting the Palladium Global Science Award, and continues to promote its expansion through partner network outreach and establishing new events.

James Bian, Executive Chairman of the China Precious Metals Industry Committee (CPMIC), commented: “Palladium is competing not only for existing applications, but for a role in the technologies of the future. For palladium to play a greater role, the industry needs to continuously identify new applications for the metal and support technologies that could become the next drivers of demand. The PGSA gives us the opportunity to identify promising research and emerging technologies around the world at an early stage and create the conditions for their further development. This is an investment not simply in scientific achievement, but in shaping the future of the palladium industry, a high-tech metal that is difficult to replace and which has the largest market scale among the platinum group metals. What this year’s entries show is how quickly that potential is being turned into practical technology – in catalysis, microelectronics, clean water, and clean energy. CPMIC is proud to support the PGSA ecosystem that brings the global research community together around this metal, and we look forward to continuing that work in Seoul in November.”