Source: ESET Science Award
The laureates of the eighth edition of the ESET Science Award were announced on 15 October 2026. Professor Dušan Galusek, Director of the FunGlass Centre at Alexander Dubček University of Trenčín, received the award for Outstanding Scientist in Slovakia. The other laureates were Marián Janík, recognised as an Outstanding Young Scientist under 35, Iveta Waczulíková, awarded for Excellence in Higher Education, and Pavol Čekan, who received the Public Award.
This year’s edition was held under the theme The Responsibility of Knowledge, highlighting the responsibility that comes with generating, sharing and applying scientific knowledge and its impact on people, society and the world.
Advancing materials science and quantum technologies
Dušan Galusek leads FunGlass, a research centre specialising in functional glass materials and technologies. Its international team develops innovative solutions, including methods for sorting waste glass by chemical composition and producing bioactive glasses for bone implants. Galusek also researches high-entropy oxide materials with potential applications in thermal barrier coatings.
Marián Janík, from the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, develops technologies for quantum computing. His research focuses on quantum dots and their potential use in spin qubits. After completing his doctoral studies at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), he returned to Slovakia to build a world-class research group.
Connecting research, education and healthcare
Iveta Waczulíková, Professor of Physics at Comenius University Bratislava, was recognised for her contribution to higher education. She coordinates the Biomedical Physics study programme and researches cellular energy metabolism, blood properties and vascular function in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. Her teaching emphasises practical research, independent thinking and responsible interpretation of scientific data.
The Public Award went to Pavol Čekan, founder and CEO of MultiplexDX, who received 16,433 of 26,259 valid votes. His team’s Multiplex8+ diagnostic test combines imaging and molecular analysis to help predict breast cancer patients’ responses to treatment. In 2026, the team completed an international study involving 590 patients and launched preparations for a prospective study across nine countries.
International recognition of scientific excellence
An international committee chaired by Serge Haroche, the 2012 Nobel Prize laureate in Physics, selected the laureates in the two scientific categories. Its members represented diverse disciplines, including materials chemistry, medicine, sociology and economics. The higher education award was decided by representatives of Slovak universities.
Haroche praised the quality and diversity of Slovak research, emphasising that scientific excellence depends on strong ideas, perseverance and the courage to explore new possibilities. He also highlighted the importance of long-term support for research and initiatives that recognise science’s contribution to society.
Published 29.10.2026, slord