Monday, 10 November 2025 Zois Prizes awarded
On Sunday, November 9, 2025, on the eve of the first celebration of the new Slovenian holiday, Science Day, this year's Zois Awards and Recognitions, the highest national awards for achievements in the field of scientific research and development in the Republic of Slovenia, and the Puh Awards and Recognitions, the highest national awards for inventions, technological and non-technological developments and the application of scientific findings in all fields of science in the introduction of innovations into economic and social practice, were awarded at a gala event in the Gallus Hall of the Cankarjev dom. They are awarded to researchers and innovators whose achievements have made a lasting contribution to the development of scientific research, development and innovation in the Republic of Slovenia.
Among this year's recipients of the Zois Award are two award winners employed at the University of Primorska. The announcement took place in October at an event organized by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Innovation, which also presents the awards. Dr. Tomaž Pisanski received the Zois Prize for lifetime achievement, while Dr. Urban Bren received the Zois Award for special achievements. We sincerely congratulate both of them on their awards.
The award, named after the Slovenian researcher Žiga Zois, has been awarded in Slovenia since 1998 to all outstanding researchers whose work has made a lasting mark on scientific research and development in the Republic of Slovenia and has made a significant contribution to its development.
The the Zois Prize for lifetime achievement in the field of discrete mathematics goes to Prof. Dr. Tomaž Pisanski (UP FAMNIT, UP IAM, IMFM)
Prof. Dr Tomaž Pisanski is a renowned researcher in discrete mathematics, a field that studies discrete structures such as integers, graphs and statements in logic that do not vary continuously, but have distinct, separated values. By establishing and developing the world-famous Slovenian school of discrete mathematics, he has significantly influenced the development of this field. He founded and led the Department of Theoretical Computer Science at the Institute of Mathematics, Physics and Mechanics, contributed to the founding of the University of Primorska, established and co-edited three scientific journals, including the Slovenian leading scientific journal Ars Mathematica Contemporanea, and founded the Slovenian Discrete and Applied Mathematics Society. He organised several international scientific meetings and also chaired the Organising Committee of the 8th European Congress of Mathematics in Portorož. In the history of mathematics, he researched Jurij Vega and Ivo Lah.
The Zois Award for significant achievements in the field of biomolecular simulations goes to Prof. Dr. Urban Bren (UM FKKT, UP FAMNIT, IOS)
Prof. Dr Urban Bren uses computer simulations to study how various chemicals affect human health and develops new, more selective diagnostic methods. He was the first to demonstrate that the chemical reactivity of substances is a good predictor of their potential carcinogenicity. He is also involved in the search for natural compounds that could inhibit cancer development – with the long-term goal of creating dietary supplements that would help prevent the disease. Additionally, he studies the impact of microwave radiation on the risk of developing cancer or neurological diseases. Using advanced computational tools, he designs new therapeutic agents, such as more effective antiviral drugs and safer painkillers.
Foto: Matjaž Tavčar for MVZI
