Wentzcovitch Makes History as First Woman to Receive Bridgman Award
Renata Wentzcovitch has been named the recipient of the 2025 Bridgman Award, a distinguished honor presented by the International Association for the Advancement of High Pressure Science and Technology (AIRAPT). This prestigious award, given every two years, recognizes outstanding research achievements in the physics, chemistry, and technology of high-pressure science.
Wentzcovitch, Professor of Materials Science and Applied Physics and Professor of Earth and Environmental Science at Columbia Engineering, is the first woman ever to receive the Bridgman Award since its inception.
She was selected by AIRAPT in recognition of her transformative contributions to materials simulations at high pressures and temperatures. In the nomination letter, her development of key computational methods that have become essential tools in the field was highlighted:
"Her work represents a new chapter in high-pressure research with the development of the first principles variable cell shape molecular dynamics methods. The impact of her methods was immense, and it was especially valuable for investigating minerals with complex crystal structures at extreme conditions. She has developed a version of this approach that allowed the determination and discovery of complex equilibrium structures at arbitrary pressures. She also pioneered high-temperature quasiharmonic calculations, which opened the door to studying materials at planetary interior conditions. Her contributions make her an internationally recognized leader in materials simulations at extreme conditions."
Professor Wentzcovitch will officially receive the award, a gold medal, at the 29th AIRAPT Meeting in Matsuyama, Japan. As part of the honor, she will also deliver the Bridgman Lecture, named after Nobel laureate Percy W. Bridgman, a pioneer in high-pressure physics.
This milestone not only recognizes a stellar scientific career but also marks a historic moment for representation in high-pressure science.
