Several researchers from HUN-REN have been honoured during the national holiday on 20 August.
Csaba Lantos, Minister of Energy, awarded the Officer's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit to Dr. Gábor Házi, an electrical engineer and Head of the Reactor Monitoring and Simulator Department at the Atomic Energy Research Institute of the HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research. Dr. Házi, who is also a Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, has been recognised for his outstanding contributions to the numerical modelling of thermohydraulic phenomena in nuclear reactors, the development of the SIMTONIA simulation framework for the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, and his exemplary professional work in the refurbishment of control systems.
On the occasion of 20 August, Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation, presented the Commander's Cross, Officer's Cross, and Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit at the Pesti Vigadó.
The Officer's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (Civil Division) was awarded to:
Dr. Attila Sándor Fehér, a biologist-ecologist, scientific advisor at the Institute of Plant Biology of the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre in Szeged, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Deputy Director General of the Institute of Biology at the Faculty of Sciences and Informatics of the University of Szeged, where he also serves as Professor and Head of Department, in recognition of his internationally significant contributions to the advancement of agricultural innovation in Hungary, particularly in plant biotechnology research and development, as well as for his outstanding work in educating young researchers.
Dr. Márta Fülöp, a psychologist and scientific advisor at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology of the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, research group leader, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Professor at the Institute of Psychology at Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church, in recognition of her internationally acclaimed research on the complex analysis of psychological processes of competition, as well as her significant contributions to the scientific community.
Dr. Antal Molnár, historian and ecclesiastical historian, Deputy Director General of the HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, Director of its Institute of History, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Professor at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University, in recognition of his work in strengthening Hungarian-Italian cultural and scientific relations.
Dr. Kálmán István Molnár, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and senior research fellow at the HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute, in recognition of his internationally outstanding research in the field of fish parasitology.
Dr. Sándor Molnár, a mathematician and retired scientific advisor at the HUN-REN Institute for Computer Science and Control, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Professor Emeritus at the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, in recognition of his extensive multidisciplinary research, wide-ranging publications, and decades of international contributions to science management and education in the fields of mathematical systems theory, operations research, applied mathematics, environmental informatics, and climate change.
Dr. Zoltán Oszkár Szántó, an economist and sociologist, Professor and Vice-Rector of Corvinus University of Budapest, Dean of the Corvinus Institute for Advanced Studies, and member of the HUN-REN Governing Board, in recognition of his outstanding professional and academic achievements, as well as his significant contributions to the development of Hungarian higher education through his science management and leadership activities.
Dr. József Topál, a biologist, scientific advisor, and research group leader at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology of the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, and Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, in recognition of his research achievements as an internationally recognised expert on the cognitive social abilities of children and dogs, as well as his efforts in promoting the introduction and support of the use of specially trained assistance dogs for people with disabilities.
Dr. Lídia Mária van Driel-Gesztelyi, an astronomer and emeritus scientific advisor at the Konkoly Thege Miklós Astronomical Institute of the HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and Professor Emeritus at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory of University College London, in recognition of her outstanding research in solar physics, her valuable contributions to science management, and her dedicated efforts to promote Hungarian scientific achievements internationally.
Dr. László Zimányi, a physicist, scientific advisor and former Director of the Institute of Biophysics of the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre in Szeged, and Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, in recognition of his outstanding scientific achievements in the field of biophysics, his successful leadership, and his active role in the Hungarian scientific community and higher education.
The Knight's Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit (Civil Division) was awarded to:
Dr. Klára Balázs, a plant protection engineer, Honorary Professor at the Faculty of Horticultural Science at Corvinus University of Budapest, retired senior research fellow at the Plant Protection Institute of the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Environmentally Friendly Plant Protection ("Környezetbarát Növényvédelemért Alapítvány"), in recognition of her effective work in advancing plant protection in Hungary.
Dr. János Szulovszky, historian and ethnographer, senior research fellow at the Institute of History of the HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities, in recognition of his four decades of research into the cultural traditions of Hungarian craftsmanship and his contributions to the development of the GISta Hungarorum historical geographic information system.
Source: Magyar Közlöny, kormany.hu, MTI