Radek Zbořil Wins Prestigious Team Award for Scientific Contribution in Water Research

A prestigious international prize, the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW), awarded for outstanding scientific and technological contributions in water-related research, is coming to the Czech Republic for the first time. In the Alternative Water Resources category, the prize was awarded to a team that includes Radek Zbořil. The PSIPW aims to promote sustainable technologies related to water treatment and water resources management and has been awarded to several Nobel Prize winners in the past.

The leader of the award-winning team of four is Virender K. Sharma from Texas A&M University, with whom Olomouc the physical chemist Radek Zbořil has long collaborated. Together, they have published over 50 papers, garnering more than 6,000 citations. The scientists received the award for their groundbreaking technologies using iron compounds in high oxidation states in advanced water purification processes, particularly for the effective removal of antibiotics and pharmaceuticals from wastewater.

“The award is very much appreciated. As always, the competition was tremendous, and I am honoured to work alongside great scientists from universities in Texas, Berkeley, and Milan. Securing drinking water is one of the global challenges, and each and every step, however small, that brings us closer to this goal is very meaningful,” said Zbořil.

The PSIPW Prize was established in 2002 to support scientific research and innovation aimed at addressing global water challenges, including water scarcity, water pollution, and effective water management. This year’s awardees include Paolo D’Odorico from the University of California, Berkeley, who is renowned for his groundbreaking papers published in journals such as Nature Water, Nature Sustainability, and Nature Climate Change.