Roberto Piazza, Dipartimento di Chimica, Materiali e Ingegneria Chimica "Giulio Natta", ha ricevuto il premio Career Award in Soft Matter in riconoscimento del suo contributo pionieristico nel campo della materia soffice e dei fluidi complessi.

Attraverso lo sviluppo e l'applicazione di tecniche sperimentali avanzate, ha fornito intuizioni fondamentali sui meccanismi fisici che governano i fluidi complessi, con un impatto duraturo sul settore. Oltre che per i successi scientifici, il Prof. Piazza ha ricevuto il premio per il suo ha contributo eccezionale alla comunità accademica attraverso la costante dedizione nel guidare e ispirare generazioni di studenti, ricercatori post-dottorato e giovani scienziati, promuovendo la curiosità intellettuale, il rigore scientifico e il pensiero interdisciplinare.

Motivazione: «The Special Recognition Award of Microfluidic Horizons 2026 is presented to Prof. Roberto Piazza, Full Professor of Condensed Matter Physics at Politecnico di Milano, in recognition of his pioneering contributions to the field of soft matter and complex fluids. His work has been instrumental in advancing the quantitative understanding of phoretic phenomena, sedimentation, and interparticle interactions in soft matter systems. Through the development and application of advanced experimental techniques, he has provided fundamental insights into the physical mechanisms governing complex fluids, with a lasting impact on the field. In addition to his scientific achievements, Prof. Piazza has made exceptional contributions to the academic community through his sustained dedication to mentorship, education, and scientific leadership. Throughout his career, he has guided and inspired generations of students, postdoctoral researchers, and young scientists, fostering intellectual curiosity. scientific rigor, and interdisciplinary thinking. His mentorship has had a profound and lasting influence on the development of numerous researchers and on the broader microfluidics and soft matter communities. This award is sponsored by the European Space Agency (ESA), with which Prof. Piazza has maintained a long-standing and fruitful scientific collaboration».

Il premio è stato consegnato durante Microfluidic Horizons 2026 (Padova, 18-22 maggio 2026).