Marcel Benoist and Latsis Swiss Science Prizes are awarded to a physicist and a lawyer
Bern, 16.09.2025 — Physicist Tobias J. Kippenberg has been awarded the Marcel Benoist Swiss Science Prize for his excellent work in quantum optomechanics and the generation of optical frequency combs. Dr Saskia Stucki has been awarded the Latsis Swiss Science Prize for her in-depth contributions at the interface between animal, human and environmental law.
With an endowment of CHF 250,000, the Marcel Benoist Swiss Science Prize is regarded as the ‘Swiss Nobel Prize’. This year's laureate, Tobias J. Kippenberg, Full Professor of Physics and Head of the Laboratory of Photonic Integrated Circuits and Quantum Measurements at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), is being honoured for his outstanding scientific achievements in quantum optomechanics and the generation of optical frequency combs using optical microresonators. Professor Kippenberg and his team are conducting research at the interface between quantum and non-linear optics. His findings in quantum optomechanics have made it possible to observe quantum phenomena even in macroscopic (visible to the naked eye) mechanical systems, while his research into chip-based frequency combs laid the foundations for future technologies such as optical telecommunications.
Animal law expert also honoured
What are rights? Who has rights? Should animals also have rights? Legal scholar Saskia Stucki deals with just such questions. Through her pioneering work, she is further developing the still young field of research into animal law and investigating its interfaces with human rights, climate and environmental law. Dr Stucki teaches and conducts research at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, where she heads the Centre for Animal Rights and the Environment (CARE), which she founded. She also conducts research at the University of Zurich and is writing her habilitation thesis at the University of Basel. Saskia Stucki has been awarded this year’s Latsis Swiss Science Prize, which is awarded to young researchers with an academic age of up to ten years and is endowed with CHF 100,000.
Joint award ceremony in the Parliament Building
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) was responsible for the scientific selection of the award winners on behalf of the Marcel Benoist Foundation and Fondation Latsis. The Swiss science prizes will be awarded at the Parliament Building in Bern on 6 November. The chairs of the respective foundations will present the prizes in the presence of Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin and National Council president Maja Riniker.
Images and further information
Photos of the two laureates as well as a detailed press release are available for download via the following link: https://marcel-benoist.ch/wissenschaftspreise-2025/download
Photographer: Daniel Rihs
Portraits of the laureates:
https://marcel-benoist.ch/en/laureate-2025 (Tobias Kippenberg)
https://bit.ly/41SN3Oq (Saskia Stucki)
Marcel Benoist Swiss Science Prize:
2025 laureate: Tobias J. Kippenberg
Tobias J. Kippenberg, born in 1976, is Professor of Physics at EPFL, where he heads the Laboratory of Photonic Integrated Circuits and Quantum Measurements. Following his studies at RWTH Aachen University and his doctorate at the California Institute of Technology (2004), he conducted research at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics before accepting an appointment as assistant professor in Lausanne in 2008. He is an international member of the US National Academy of Engineering, a member of the Leopoldina, winner of the ZEISS Research Award, the Fresnel Prize of the European Physical Society (2009) and the Helmholtz Prize for Metrology (2009). Since 2014, he has been one of the 1% most cited authors in physics, as recognised by Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researcher list. He is the author of more than 30 publications in Nature and Science. In 2014, he was awarded the National Latsis Prize. Professor Kippenberg’s work lays the foundations for ultra-precise time measurement, quantum sensor technology and high-speed communication. His research combines fundamental quantum physics with application-orientated technology development.
The following link provides further information on Professor Kippenberg and his research: https://marcel-benoist.ch/en/laureate-2025.
Marcel Benoist Foundation
Since 1920, the Foundation has awarded the prize every year in recognition of outstanding research which is of particular benefit to human life, and so pays tribute to researchers who exemplify the level of excellence of research conducted in Switzerland. Eleven of these laureates have gone on to receive the Nobel Prize. Since 2018, the nomination and selection process has been undertaken by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) on behalf of the Marcel Benoist Foundation. The 2025 prize is awarded in the fields of mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. Further information can be found here: https://marcel-benoist.ch/en/.
Latsis Swiss Science Prize
2025 laureate: Saskia Stucki
Dr Stucki teaches and conducts research at Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, where she heads the Centre for Animal Rights and the Environment (CARE), which she founded. She is a senior researcher at the Chair of Public Law, Environmental Law and Energy Law at the University of Zurich and a postdoctoral lecturer at the University of Basel. She studied law in Basel and obtained her doctorate there in 2015. She was a visiting researcher at the Harvard Law School Animal Law & Policy Program and a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law. Dr Stucki conducts research at the interface of animal, human and environmental law and combines the legal perspective with a view of ecological challenges. In this way, she lays the foundations for holistic approaches that take account of people, animals and the environment.
The following link provides further information on Dr Saskia Stucki and her research:
https://bit.ly/41SN3Oq.
Fondation Latsis
The Latsis Swiss Science Prize has been awarded annually since 1984 by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) on behalf of the Fondation Latsis, which was founded in 1975. The prize honours young researchers at Swiss universities with an academic age of up to ten years for outstanding contributions. The prizewinners are chosen in a selection procedure run by the SNSF. The 2025 prize is awarded in the field of humanities and social sciences. Further information can be found here: www.fondationlatsis.org.
Contact persons
Marcel Benoist Foundation
Dr Aurélia Robert-Tissot, Executive Secretary
Tel.: +41 58 484 49 41
Email: info@marcel-benoist.ch
Website: https://marcel-benoist.ch/en/
Laureate: Prof Tobias J. Kippenberg, tobias.kippenberg@epfl.ch, Tel: +41 21 693 44 28
Fondation Latsis
Prof. Yves Flückiger, Foundation President
Tel.: +41 22 959 00 00
Email: yves.flueckiger@unige.ch
Website: https://fondationlatsis.org/en/
Laureate: Dr Saskia Stucki, saskia.stucki@zhaw.ch, Tel: +41 58 934 74 76