Prospecting for the JK Prize

We are preparing for the 2026 Jean Kuntzmann Prize and would like to ask you to nominate potential recipients.

The Jean Kuntzmann Prize was established in 2014 as a science policy initiative of the MSTIC community in Grenoble. In keeping with the spirit of Jean Kuntzmann, it recognizes outstanding scientists based on the following criteria:
- The recipients are recognized for the originality, quality, and significance of their work conducted in a laboratory outside the University of Grenoble,
- The award-winning projects, drawn from mathematics and computer science, transcend disciplinary and thematic boundaries,
- These works reflect their authors' keen awareness of practical and societal considerations.

The first recipients were Emmanuel Candès (professor at Stanford) in 2014, Joachim Weickert (professor at Saarland University) in 2016, and Eva Tardos (Cornell University) in 2019, all of whom agreed to spend a week in Grenoble, during which they gave a series of lectures, visited laboratories, interacted with researchers, and gave interviews to doctoral students... They also presented their work to a broad audience during the award ceremony in the auditorium of the Musée de Grenoble.

The Prize therefore enables us to bring leading scientists to our laboratories and connect them with researchers and students in our community. It helps raise the community’s profile: as a testament to its vitality and dynamism, the Prize winners serve as excellent ambassadors. 

The 2026 edition applies to all laboratories affiliated with Persyval-lab. 
We are asking all researchers at Persyval-Lab to suggest names of potential award recipients. The committee has not established a specific profile; however, nominations of women and young researchers with high potential will be particularly welcome.

A local selection committee, composed of Sophie Achard, Eric Bonnetier, Didier Bresch, Louis Esperet, Jean Fasel, and Sihem Amer-Yahia, will compile a shortlist of 3 to 6 names based on the suggestions received and forward it to the Persyval-lab scientific committee, which will select the winner.

Merci de faire remonter vos propositions à Anne-Laure Bernardin <Anne-Laure Bernardinuniv-grenoble-alpes.fr (anne-Laure[dot]Bernardin[at]univ-grenoble-alpes[dot]fr)>,

For the attention of the Prospecting Committee, specifying “ Nomination for the JK Award " in the subject line, by November 30.

For each of the proposed names, any relevant information—even if very brief—will be helpful to the committee. This could be a simple link to the nominee’s website, a CV, a short description of their field of research and contributions, or the impact their visit might have.

We are, of course, available to clarify any questions regarding the award selection process and thank you in advance for your contributions!

The Prospecting Committee:
Sophie Achard, Eric Bonnetier, Didier Bresch, Louis Esperet, Jean Fasel, Sihem Amer-Yahia