The Morgan Medal recognizes a distinguished doctoral dissertation in glass or ceramics.
The Morgan Medal recognizes a distinguished Ph.D. dissertation in glass or ceramics. Candidates must be members of the Global Graduate Research Network. and must have graduated within 12 months of their award nomination. The award consists of a $1000 honorarium, certificate including the Morgan Medal, and complimentary meeting registration at the Annual Meeting where the award is presented. The award is generously sponsored by Morgan Advanced Materials.
Nomination Process
Nominations should be made by a person very familiar with the student’s work such as the research supervisor. Self-nominations are not permitted but the student is expected to collaborate in the preparation of the nomination package. Nominations must be in English. A nomination form is available on the ACerS website, in the Awards Portal.
Nominations must include the following:
i. CV or bio of 1 page, including significant publications and presentations relevant to the dissertation.
ii. Abstract of 1,000 to 3,000 words plus no more than 2 pages of figures, including the following 3 sections.
a) Statement of the problem
b) Summary of the research and results, including any new techniques developed and collaborations.
c) Impact of the research
iii. Two letters of recommendation – one from a) and one from either b) or c) below:
a) Letter from the supervisor which confirms that the dissertation and all requirements for graduation have been met, and which summarizes the key points of the nomination
b) Letter from a member of the dissertation committee which provides an independent opinion on the value of the dissertation
c) Letter from an external person familiar with the work which summarizes the impact of the work.
iv. Copies of accepted and published papers directly relevant to the dissertation.
v. An on-line link to the dissertation or other means of accessing the dissertation
Contact
Erica Zimmerman
ezimmerman@ceramics.org
Award Winners
Dissertation: “Effective properties of oxide and silicate ceramics and their dependence on composition, microstructure and temperature” Ing. Petra Špringer Šimonová, Ph.D
Petra Špringer Šimonová
Petra is a Postdoctoral Researcher and Humboldt Fellow at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry and Technology of Materials at UCT Prague in 2025 and spent part of her doctoral studies at École des Mines de Saint-Étienne, France, through the Barrande Fellowship Programme. During her Ph.D., she collaborated with the Czech Academy of Sciences on XRD studies of ceramics. Her research focuses on understanding the relationships between microstructure, composition, and properties of ceramic materials. She investigated oxide and silicate ceramics during her Ph.D. and is now expanding her work to ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), exploring how microstructural design influences their mechanical and functional properties.
Beyond her research, Petra is deeply engaged in academic governance and community building. She served as Vice-Chair of the Academic Senate at UCT Prague, organizes the annual Ph.D. Seminar on Inorganic Non-Metallic Materials, and contributes to developing resources and seminars to support Ph.D. students. She is a board member of the Czech Ceramic Society, serves as the YCN representative within ECerS, and represents Czechia in PCSA within the ACerS, supporting student-focused activities.
Her contributions have been recognized with several awards, including the Graduate Excellence Award in Materials Science, the Czech Ceramic Society Award for Young Scientists, the Josef Hlávka award and the Emil Votoček scholarship. She has served as principal investigator of several internal research grants and as co-investigator on national grants. Petra has co-authored 22 articles in Q1 journals and was selected to attend the 74th Nobel Laureate Meeting in Lindau. She actively mentors early-career researchers and fosters collaborations, bridging fundamental research with community engagement, and advancing the ceramics field nationally and internationally.