Award for Data Analysis in Imaging

For outstanding scientific achievements applying microscopy in the field of data analysis in imaging.

Winners receive complimentary registration to a relevant RMS meeting where they will be presented with their award. They may be invited to produce an article for infocus magazine. 

2025 Winner

Dr Francisco de la Peña
University of Lille, France

Francisco is a researcher in the fields of analytical electron microscopy, materials science and scientific data analysis.
 
As the primary creator of HyperSpy (a python package for the analysis of multi-dimensional data, with specific functionality for analysing data collected in electron microscopes) he has made an unparalleled contribution to the analysis of electron microscopy data in physical sciences.

HyperSpy started as a toolbox for the analysis of electron energy loss spectroscopy. Good design meant that a lot of the functionalities could serve as basis for implementing analyses of other types of multi-dimensional data, such as energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron diffraction, 4D-STEM or atomic resolution images. It has now become a framework to handle any type of multi-dimensional data, used by a growing number of scientific data analysis software packages. Consequently, it has received more than 1100 citations in peer-reviewed publications.
 
HyperSpy has a large community of users across the world (~4000 monthly visits to the documentation website) . The success of HyperSpy is in large part due to Francisco’s dedication to building and fostering an inclusive and supportive community around this open-source project, inspiring active participation and contribution. A testament to this is the many users that assist others, submit bug reports, request features and contribute code, therefore transitioning from regular users to developers. Notably, the current lead developer began as a regular user.

Francisco is also a regular speaker at a number of conferences and workshops promoting open-source software development for electron microscopy. Francisco has played a huge role in training this community through his workshops and teaching courses, training thousands of users in not only the use of HyperSpy but also the basics of using python for data analysis. Arguably no other individual has impacted the analysis of electron microscopy data in the physical sciences as much as Francisco over the last decade and a half.
 

Eligibility:

• All awards are open to applicants worldwide.
• The award will normally be made to nominees who have engaged in independent research for less than 10 years. 

How to submit a nomination:

• Applicants may self-nominate or be nominated by a colleague or collaborator.
• Applications and nominations should be submitted to Jade Sturdy.
• Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae and a letter stating which section award they wish to be considered for.
• Nominators should submit a curriculum vitae for the nominated candidate and a statement (maximum length 1 page) outlining the merits of the candidate and their suitability for the specific award (please note - if you wish to nominate someone without notifying them of the nomination, a shorter CV i.e. a bio from LinkedIn will be accepted).
• Nominated candidates will be contacted after the closing date to confirm that they are happy for their nomination to be considered.
• In each case the relevant science section will consider applications.

Previous Winners