The journal Metals (ISSN: 2075-4701) is inviting applications for the 2024 Best PhD Thesis Award. This prize will be awarded to a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential. The applications will be assessed by an evaluation committee led by the Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Dr. Yong Zhang.

Eligibility and Requirements:

• The candidate must be a PhD student or recently qualified PhD who has produced a highly anticipated thesis with great academic potential;
• The PhD thesis must be their original work;
• The PhD thesis must be defended in 2024.

Required Application Documents:

• An executive summary of the PhD thesis in English of around 3000 words;
• A letter from the PhD supervisor recommending the candidate for consideration for this award;
• The candidate’s CV, including a list of publications connected with the thesis;
• An electronic copy of the PhD thesis;
• A scanned copy of the PhD diploma (or certificate of studying at a school or research institute as a PhD student going to graduate or participate in graduation thesis defenses).

Selection Criteria:

• Quality of resume and publications;
• Relevance of the candidate and research description;
• Novelty of the candidate’s PhD thesis;
• Strength of the recommendation letter;
• Anticipated academic potential;
• Originality and impact of the research.

Prizes:

• CHF 500;
• An electronic certificate;
• Offer to publish one paper free of charge in Metals after peer review before the end of July 2026.

Please visit the following link to submit your application: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/metals/awards/submit/3022.

The application deadline is 31 May 2025. The winner will be announced on the Metals website by the end of July 2025.