George E. Valley Jr. Prize
To recognize an early-career individual for an outstanding scientific contribution to physics that is deemed to have significant potential for a dramatic impact on the field. The prize consists of $10,000, a certificate citing the contribution made by the recipient, an allowance for travel to the APS Medal and Prize Ceremony and Reception in Washington, D.C., and an invited talk at an APS March or April Meeting. It shall be awarded to one individual who has received his/her Ph.D. no earlier than 5 years before April 1 of the year of the nomination deadline.
Rules and eligibility
Nomination documents must include a statement from the nominator or from the candidate's department certifying the date of the candidate's Ph.D. Unsuccessful nominations can be carried over to the next time that the prize is awarded provided that: a) the requirement specified above is still met; b) the nominators update the dossiers of the candidates to include the elapsed two years.
Nominations will be considered for three review cycles provided the nominator re-certifies the nomination before the next deadline and all other eligiblity criteria are still met.
Note: Work done by a graduate student for his/her thesis is eligible for consideration if it is demonstrated that the student's contributions have been crucial to an important piece of research.
Process and selection
Nominations received by APS will be distributed to the APS Society Medal & Prize selection committee for review. The selection committee's recommendation will be forwarded for approval by the APS Council of Representatives and upon such approval a notification letter will be sent to the recipient. The Prize will be presented at the next appropriate meeting of the APS at which the recipient will also be invited to present a lecture.
The nomination package must include:
- A letter of not more than 5,000 characters evaluating the qualifications of the nominee(s).
In addition, the nomination should include:
- A biographical sketch.
- A list of the most important publications.
- At least two, but not more than four, seconding letters.
- Up to five reprints or preprints.
Selection Committee
- Gabriela González
- Kristan Corwin
- Bruce Carlsten
- David Weiss
- Dragana Popovic
- Amy Liu
- Peter Olmsted
- Glenn Fredrickson
- Jennifer Ross
- Caroline Jarrold
- Deirdre Shoemaker
- Rachel Goldman
- Bindu Rani
- Haiyan Gao
- Robert Bernstein
- Steven Girvin
- Daniel Lathrop
- Maria Longobardi
- Michael Brown
- Howard Stone
Establishment and support
The prize was established by the APS Council in 2000 under the terms of a bequest by George E. Valley, Jr.
Recent recipients
Lorenzo Gavassino
2026 recipient
For contributions to the field of relativistic viscous fluid dynamics that settled longstanding questions about the relation between stability and causality.
Ruben Verresen
2025 recipient
For pioneering contributions to the quantum dynamics and topology of strongly coupled systems, enabling the creation of highly entangled states, including the first non-Abelian phase in quantum platforms.
Geoff Penington
2024 recipient
For computation of the quantum entropy of an evaporating black hole and its radiation.
Lina Necib
2023 recipient
For the discovery of a massive, previously unknown stellar structure that may have shaped the history of the Milky Way, and the development of groundbreaking new methods to study our Galaxy's dark matter halo and growth history.
Andrew Lucas
2022 recipient
For pioneering contributions to developing the theory of hydrodynamic transport in interacting electron fluids.
APS Honors recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of the global physics community. Guided by our core values, APS Honors encourages nominations that reflect the full range of talent, distinction, and experience in our field, and supports broad canvassing for professional achievement across diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and expertise.
Nominees for and holders of APS Honors (prizes, awards, and fellowship) and official leadership positions are expected to meet standards of professional conduct and integrity as described in the APS Ethics Standards. Violations of these standards may disqualify people from consideration or lead to revocation of honors or removal from office.
George E. Valley Jr. Prize
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As approved by the Council of Representatives on April 10, 2025.
APS honors exceptional contributions to the physics community, including travel support for students and early career physicists.