Australian Museum Eureka Prizes People's Choice Award announced

Nicole Kuepper, a 23-year-old solar cell scientist, has been voted Australia’s favourite scientist in the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes People’s Choice Award.

Often likened to the 'Oscars of Australian Science', the Australian Museum Eureka Prizes reward achievements in Australian scientific research, leadership and innovation, communication and journalism and school science.

For Kuepper, a PhD student and lecturer at the School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering at the University of New South Wales, the Eureka Prizes People’s Choice Award was her second Eureka prize. She also won the British Council Eureka Prize for Young Leaders in Environmental Issues and Climate Change.

Kuepper was awarded both prizes for her work in developing and patenting a revolutionary solar cell that can be manufactured at low temperatures using everyday items like a pizza oven, nail polish and an ink jet printer.

Kuepper hopes that her technology will mean cheap, clean and green energy for developing countries, providing electricity to 2 billion of the world’s poorest people.

Nicole was one of six finalists in the Eureka Prizes People’s Choice Award who were selected from the hundreds of entries in the Eureka prizes for scientific research.

The Eureka Prizes People’s Choice Award is supported by the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, ABC, Abbey’s Bookshop and Microsoft.