Irwin Oppenheim Award

Rules and eligibility

The award will be granted once a year to the authors of a regular article or Letter published in Physical Review E in the calendar year preceding the year of nomination (e.g., those nominated in 2024 will have published in 2023). This recognition is restricted to researchers with at most 12 years of full-time activity after their Ph.D. as of the date of publication, allowing for career breaks (e.g., due to child or dependent care, major illness, military service, etc.). Authors who are at an even earlier career stage, including in particular graduate and undergraduate students, are eligible as well. All authors of the paper must meet this eligibility criterion, and the authors' CVs must explicitly state the date that the author obtained their Ph.D., and list any career breaks. 

Process and selection

This is a self-nomination and should be completed by the corresponding author. To be considered for this award, please submit an online application form and include the following information:

• Volume number, article number, and title of article
• Total number of authors
• Contact information for each author
• Ph.D. award date for each author
• CV, including publication list, for each author. Please ensure that each CV states the Ph.D. award date. When appropriate, periods of inactivity should be indicated on the CV with a brief explanation

A committee consisting of members nominated by relevant units of the American Physical Society and, after the first awarding, a prior recipient will select the winner based solely on the scientific merit of the paper.

Establishment and support

The award was made possible by generous contributions from Irwin’s family and friends along with his students, colleagues, and members of the Physical Review E community. Thanks to the gracious support of Irwin Oppenheim's friends and family, we are pleased to announce the award stipend has increased to $5,000.

About Irwin Oppenheim

This best paper award, the first APS award established by a Physical Review journal, honors the founding editor of Physical Review E, Irwin Oppenheim. Under his editorship, the journal grew significantly in both size and scope. A visionary editor, Irwin promoted new areas, including soft matter, biological physics, and complex networks. Physical Review E, with its broad coverage and interdisciplinary scope, continues to embrace Irwin's editorial philosophy, and the journal is an important part of his legacy.

A distinguished scientist, Irwin Oppenheim studied nonequilibrium phenomena and was a leader in statistical physics and kinetic theory. His illustrious career as a Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology spanned more than five decades. Irwin is remembered for his warmth and wisdom as a mentor to many students and postdocs who later went on to become prominent in their field. Appropriately, the Irwin Oppenheim Award recognizes early career scientists.

Recent recipients