The Ragnar Wighus Award is a prize bestowed by the International Water Mist Association (IWMA). It honours young scientists who have dedicated their thesis to water mist. The name of this year’s winner is Azad Hamzehpour. Azad has finished his Ph.D. thesis at the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy, under the supervision of Prof. Vittorio Verda and Prof. Romano Borchiellini.
The picture shows (from left to right) Vittorio Verda, Azad Hamzehpour, Romano Borchiellini, Davide Papurello (an associate professor at the Polytechnic University of Turin with whom Azad is currently working on a new project about lithium-ion battery fires)
As it is tradition, Azad has been invited to the upcoming International Water Mist Conference which in 2025 will take place in Manchester, UK, on 24th and 25th September. There he will get the opportunity to introduce his Ph.D. thesis entitled “Experimental and Simulation Analysis of Water Mist Systems for shielded Fire Applications” to an audience of experts.
On being informed about having been chosen as the winner, Azad said: “I’m deeply honored to receive this award for my PhD thesis. It’s incredibly rewarding to have my work recognized in this way, and I’m grateful to my supervisors and colleagues for their support throughout the journey. This recognition inspires me to continue pursuing research that contributes to meaningful advances in the field.”
In 2026, the Ragnar Wighus Award will go to the author of the best master thesis.