The ECIU Young Researchers Prize was awarded for the first time at the ECIU General Meeting at Chalmers University in summer 2002. The topic of the year 2002 prize was “Research for a Sustainable Society”.

The happy winner of the ECIU Young Researchers' Prize year 2002 was Professor Christian Azar, Chalmers University of Technology, who received a small gold medal and a cheque for 10.000 Euro. Dr. Sanna Saarnio from the University of Joensuu, Finland won the 3rd prize of 2.500 Euro, and the 2nd prize of 5.000 Euro was given to Dr. Christian Gutt from the University of Dortmund, Germany.

Professor Christian Azar, Chalmers University of Technology
Professor Azar has a very strong record in climate change and in biomass assessment. The work is remarkable in bringing together scientific and economic studies of climate change, directly challenging the conclusions of earlier economists. It is difficult to overstate the importance of these insights. Azar's work has also extended into energy systems modeling, showing the crucial importance of biomass generation of carbondioxide emissions are to be reduced to below acceptable critical limits. These studies have also emphasised the difficulties of carbondioxide emission reduction in transport. Finally, and just recently, Azar has engaged forcefully in the Kyoto debate, and in particular he challenged the orthodoxy that reduction should be postponed until substantial technological improvements make the lowering of carbondioxide emissions more effective.

Professor Azar has brought an exhilarating mix of physical and social science insights to bear on a crucial area. His publication record is outstanding and he is already extensively cited in the literature.

Dr Christian Gutt, University of Dortmund
The basic science underpinning environmental chemistry is full of surprises, and not the least of these is the discovery that enormous quantities of methane gas are sequestred in the form of ice-like crystalline methane hydrates. Relatively little is known about these species, even though their importance was recognised many years ago, and Dr Gutt's studies have shed remarkable light both in the structure of these hydrates and their physical properties. Most of the investigations have been carried out with neutron scattering, which has revealed both the elegant structure of these hydrates and the nature of methane rotation within the hydrate. Perhaps most interesting is the exceptionally low thermal conductivity of these materials.

Many countries have now started extensive programmes on gas-hydrates, with particular emphasis on understanding their role in the carbon cycle and in geochemical and biological processes, as well as recognising their possible future use as energy vectors. This work requires the high quality physical chemistry carried out by Dr Gutt.

Dr Sanna Saarnio, University of Joensuu
Dr Saarnio is a researcher at University of Joensuu. She became a PhD in 1999 and has 13 publications and has been involved in several other publications. She is extensively cited in the literature. Her research is focused on understanding the function of the bereal mire ecosystems. The aim is to be able to predict feedback effects of northern wetlands on climate change. Mires are natural sites of carbon-dioxide and sources of methane. She has focused on studying factors effecting carbon-dioxide exchange and methane release in mire in Finland. She has used various experimental methods in field studies and her approaches are of interdisciplinary character. The results are recognised internationally as well as by the general public, the latter through the several newspaper articles she has been involved in writing. The research conducted is of high importance for the development of a sustainable society.