The Rien van Genuchten Early-Career Award is given to an early-career researcher whose work contributes to the general theme of "porous media research for a green world." This may involve significant theoretical, experimental, and/or modeling advances that address major soil, hydrologic, and/or environmental challenges facing our planet.

This award is presented annually to a researcher with at most three years of experience after receiving their PhD (excluding the year the PhD was awarded). The recipient will receive:

• A certificate recognizing their achievements
• A €1,500 conference grant for participation in the next InterPore Conference

The grant is preferentially intended for young researchers from low- or middle-income economies, as defined by the World Bank.

We strongly encourage nominations for individuals who have made outstanding contributions—whether theoretical, experimental, or modeling—on natural or industrial porous media, from both fundamental and applied perspectives, addressing key environmental challenges.

Eligibility

• Nominees must be early-career researchers (PhD obtained within the last three years, not including the year of completion).
• Nominee and nominator must be InterPore members, except for nominees from Low- and Middle-Income (LMI) countries, as defined by the World Bank.
• Self-nominations are accepted.

Nomination Process

To nominate a candidate, please complete the nomination form at the bottom of this page and upload the required documents as instructed.

A complete nomination package must include:

• A two-page nomination letter describing the nominee’s contributions to porous media research in the last 10 years (excluding the current year). The letter should conclude with a citation statement. Example: 

  "This nominee has made outstanding contributions to the physics of transport in porous media in several fields, such as non-Newtonian fluid flow, drying and imbibition, colloidal transport, mass transfer in wood, and the use of NMR for imaging."

• Up to three supporting letters (maximum two pages each)
• Copies of relevant publications (electronic format) published during or within three years after receiving the PhD
• A two-page CV of the nominee, plus a full publication list

Submission Details

• Deadline for submission: November 15th
• To submit a nomination, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page and upload the required documents.

A word of gratitude:

This award has been made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Betty-May Pontedeiro to the InterPore Foundation and is created in honor of the eminent soil and groundwater scientist Marthinus (Rien) Th. van Genuchten. Rien van Genuchten is world renown for his enormous achievements in the area of fluids flow and solutes transport in partially-saturated porous media. He has made highly impactful contributions to the understanding and modeling of subsurface processes, in such widely varying fields as soil physics, hydrology, geology, the environmental sciences, and civil engineering.