We are proud to announce that Maria Gracheva has been awarded with Akadémiai Ifjúsági díj – Academic Youth Award on the 23rd of February 2026.
Title of her thesis is: “A Növényi Élet Fizikája: A Víz- és Fém-Transzport Feltárása a Növényi Ellenállóképesség Javításáért” – The Physics of Plant Life: Exploring Water and Metal Transport for Improving Plant Resilience
The Academic Youth Award was initiated by the leaders of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences to acknowledge the achievements of young researchers working in the field of science. The award is presented annually to researchers who have already demonstrated outstanding individual performance in their respective fields of the humanities, social sciences, life sciences, or mathematics and natural sciences.
Maria Gracheva is working in the Nuclear Analysis and Imaging Group of the Budapest Neutron Centre EKBI, HUN-REN EK. In collaboration with Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Plant Biology (ELTE TTK) her research work employs multi-analytical approach rooted in advanced physics methods to investigate two critical aspects of plant life: the metabolism of essential transition metals and the dynamics of water transport, with the ultimate goal of enhancing crop resilience.
Based on the recent results of her work a paper focused on the role of iron complexes in chloroplasts was published recently.
Have a look: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2026.111124
Gracheva M. et al. (2026): Ferritin-mediated transient iron sequestration facilitates chloroplast iron recycling during leaf senescence. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, Volume 232, 2026, 111124
Congratulations to Maria, and best wishes for continued success in her academic work!
