Hungarian mathematician László Székelyhidi Jr., currently working at Leipzig University, has won the most prestigious German research award: The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize.
According to Index.hu, he is the third Hungarian to receive the prestigious award, and the first Hungarian mathematician. Székelyhidi Jr. will receive his award in Berlin on March 19th.
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is a program that was established by the German Research Foundation in 1985.
“The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Program awards prizes to exceptional scientists and academics for their outstanding achievements in the field of research . . . a maximum of €2.5 million is provided per award,” the official website states.
Two Hungarian researchers have previously won the Leibniz Prize: Géza Alföldy, historian of the ancient world (1986) and Ferenc Krausz, theoretical physicist (2006).
Many Leibniz Prize winners later picked up the Nobel Prize, and the award is often seen as a precursor of the Nobel Prize.