Mariano Nicolas Cruz Bournazou of the UniCat Cluster of Excellence to receive the Chorafas Prize for his research work

October 18th, 2011

For the excellent research work carried out in the production of his thesis at the TU Berlin, Mariano Nicolas Cruz Bournazou is to be distinguished with the Chorafas Prize.

This prize, which is given by the Chorafas Foundation, is conferred yearly on doctoral candidates or those who have already obtained a doctoral title for their above-average research work. The aim of the Award is to encourage young, outstanding scientists by providing them with a start-out fund for postgraduate research. The prize of 4,000 USD will be awarded on 18th October by the first Vice-President of the TU Berlin, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Paul Uwe Thamsen.

Mariano Nicolas Cruz Bournazou produced his dissertation within School III (Process Sciences) of the TU Berlin. 

His research focuses on transferring the information obtained from specific complex models that are produced during foundational research to industrial processes. The title of his doctoral thesis is “Systematic Approach to Mechanism Recognition and Model Development in Biological and Catalytic Processes”.

His PhD supervisors are Prof. Dr. Günter Wozny (Institute for Process and Plant Technology) and Prof. Dr. Peter Neubauer (Institute for Biotechnology). Following his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at the National University of Mexico, Cruz studied for a Masters in Process Energy Environmental Systems Engineering (PEESE) at the TU Berlin, which he completed in 2007. In 2008 he began work on the thesis that he completed in June 2011.

Chorafas Foundation

The Dimitris N. Chorafas Foundation was established in March 1992 in collaboration with the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences, Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences, Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences, and Swiss Academy of Natural Sciences. Each award is of USD 4'000.  There have been 20 to 30 prizes per year. As of today, there are 26 partner Universities in 15 countries.

The Chorafas Foundation was founded by Greek Professor Dimitris Chorafas, an adviser of financial institutions and industrial corporations in strategic planning, risk management, computers and communications systems, and internal controls.