IIASA has recognized four outstanding young scientists from the 2019 Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) as YSSP awardees. Two candidates will receive funding to continue their research projects at IIASA and two have been given an Honorable Mention for exceptional effort.
© IIASA
The winners of the annual Peccei and Mikhalevich awards for Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) participants have been announced. These awards will enable two participants from the 2019 YSSP to return to the institute for an additional three months to continue their research projects.
The awards are given annually for outstanding papers from the previous year’s YSSP cohort. Candidates are nominated by the program director of the relevant IIASA research program and assessed by a committee comprised of one member from each research program. Each candidate’s paper is evaluated based on its quality, originality, and relevance. The final decision is made by IIASA Director General Albert van Jaarsveld.
Peccei awards are named in honor of IIASA alumnus Aurelio Peccei and recognize policy-related research, while Mikhalevich awards, named for IIASA alumnus Vladimir S. Mikhalevich, are aimed at mathematically and methodologically oriented research.
The 2019 YSSP Peccei and Mihalevich Awards Winners
© IIASA
Felicia Chang from the University of California, USA has won the Peccei Award for her study: “Concurrent temperature and precipitation shifts in historical and historical natural-only model simulations”
IIASA Program: WAT.
IIASA Supervisors: Peter Greve, Yoshihide Wada
© IIASA
Nicolas Choquette-Levy from Princeton University, USA won the Mikhalevich Award for his study: “The impact of risk sharing mechanisms on smallholder farmer climate adaptation strategies”
IIASA Program: ASA, RISK, POP.
IIASA Supervisors: Matthias Wildemeersch, JoAnne Bayer, Wolfgang Lutz
Honorable Mentions
© IIASA
An Honorable Mention goes to Rory Gibb from the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, University College London, UK for his study on: “Interacting effects of land use, climate and socioeconomic change on Lassa fever in West Africa”
IIASA Program: ESM.
IIASA Supervisors: Piero Visconti, Tamas Krisztin
© IIASA
An Honorable Mention goes to Roope Karoonen from the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, University of Helsinki, Finland for his study on: “Cultural evolution of sustainable behaviors: pro environmental tipping points in an agent-based model”
IIASA Program: ASA.
IIASA Supervisor: Nikita Strelkovskii
News
31 August 2026
IIASA 2026 Young Scientists Summer Program concludes
This year, the IIASA Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP) brought together 52 young professionals living or studying in 15 countries around the world for a summer of new friendships and experiences, interdisciplinary research, collaboration, and scientific exchange.
20 July 2026
Smarter mobility infrastructure for a lower-carbon future
As populations grow and economies develop, the world will need more roads, railways, and other mobility infrastructure, especially in rapidly urbanizing regions. The challenge is to provide that infrastructure while minimizing resource use and carbon emissions – a goal new research suggests is well within reach.
31 May 2026
New Elsevier monograph showcases IIASA–China collaboration on the land, water, food, and climate nexus
Titled “Integrated Systems Analysis of Ecosystems: The Land, Water, Food, and Climate Nexus”, the publication brings together expertise from IIASA and leading Chinese researchers to address the interconnected challenges of ecosystem sustainability, food security, and climate resilience.