Joachim Galiana has been awarded the 2026 Gaston Berthier PhD Thesis Award, a biennial distinction jointly awarded by ThéMoSiA and ModSim. This prize recognizes an outstanding PhD thesis defended in France in the field of atomic-scale theories, modeling, and simulations.
In 2024, Joachim Galiana defended his PhD thesis within the Theoretical Physical Chemistry & Modeling Department of the Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier at the Université de Montpellier, entitled:
“Modelling and Simulating Excitation-Energy Transfer in Light-Harvesting Antennae: A Nonadiabatic Perspective”
His research focuses on understanding excitation-energy transfer mechanisms in complex systems such as π-conjugated macromolecules. By combining advanced quantum chemistry methods, including TD-DFT and MCTDH, with original methodological developments, this work highlights the key role of molecular structure and vibrational modes in excitation-energy transfer phenomena.
The jury particularly praised the scientific quality of the manuscript, as well as the originality and significance of the research carried out.
This distinction recognizes the excellence of the research conducted within the ICGM.