Mercouri Kanatzidis receives honorary doctorate from ETH Zurich
November 22, 2025
Professor Mercouri Kanatzidis is one of the most influential solid-state chemists of our time. Through his curiosity and persistence, he has discovered new types of functional materials and transformed
fundamental discoveries into important technologies.
He is a pioneer of perovskite photovoltaics, particularly the all-solid-state variant. For decades, he has been instrumental in shaping the design of high-performance thermoelectrics that convert industrial waste heat into electricity.
Kanatzidis has introduced innovative solid-state synthesis methods, including high-throughput in situ
characterisation. He recently demonstrated that low-cost, robustly grown perovskite can detect hard
radiation with striking precision — a breakthrough that has enabled radiation detectors with exceptional energy resolution.
He has published over 1,600 papers spanning chemistry, physics and materials science and has received major international prizes, including the ENI Award, as well as being elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
He has mentored over 200 PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, many of whom have become
professors, amplifying his impact. At ETH, our solid-state practicum builds on the crystal-growth approaches that he established, which benefits our students immediately. In recognition of his pioneering advances in solid-state chemistry and innovative materials design with impactful real-world applications, ETH Zurich is proud to confer an honorary doctorate upon Professor Mercouri Kanatzidis.