The Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation has once again recognized scientific excellence by awarding its thesis prize to two promising young researchers from the University of Strasbourg. In 2026, Charlou Rognan and Maciej Piejko were recognized for the quality and originality of their work, in the fields of the synthesis of molecules with therapeutic potential and polaritonics at the interface with quantum physics, respectively.
Each year, the Foundation honors doctoral students in chemistry at the University of Strasbourg whose research—conducted at the intersection of biology, materials science, physics, and medicine—shows great potential for societal impact. This award also highlights the deeply interdisciplinary nature of the research conducted in Strasbourg, where chemistry interacts closely with other scientific fields to address major technological, medical, and environmental challenges.
A Ph.D. graduate of the Laboratory for Therapeutic Innovation (UMR7200), Charlou Rognan devoted the 37 months of his dissertation to developing new, rapid, and efficient methods for synthesizing molecules with bioactive potential. Noting that the vast majority of drugs approved over the past decade contain nitrogen- and/or sulfur-containing cyclic structures, he designed a polyfunctionalized molecular “scaffold” containing both types of atoms, capable of serving as a building block for a wide variety of N- and S-heterocycles.
Through a “domino” reaction —a cascade of transformations occurring sequentially without human intervention between each step—he was able to simplify and significantly reduce the number of synthesis steps, paving the way for faster and more sustainable production of the therapeutic molecules of the future. His work, supervised by Dr. Nicolas Girard and Dr. Mihaela Gulea, has resulted in two publications in leading international journals.
As a doctoral student in the Laboratory of Chemistry and Biological Systems at ISIS (UMR 7006), Maciej Piejko devoted the 43 months of his doctoral research to one of the most stimulating frontiers in contemporary chemistry: understanding how strong vibrational coupling between light and matter can alter fundamental chemical properties.
When molecules are placed between two microscopic mirrors—an optical cavity—the molecular vibrations synchronize with light fluctuations to create hybrid states called polaritons.
Maciej Piejko developed an ingenious experimental setup, based on NMR-compatible gold-mirror mini-cavities, to demonstrate directly for the first time that this strong coupling can alter a molecule’s conformation by weakening its intermolecular dispersion forces. Beyond the scientific demonstration, he has developed a simple and reproducible tool that is now available to the entire research community working in this field. His work was supervised by Prof. Joseph Moran and Dr. Damien Leboeuf, in collaboration with the laboratory of Prof. Thomas Ebbesen, a pioneer in polaritonics.
An awards ceremony was held on Friday, June 19, 2026, attended by the winners, their thesis advisors, and representatives of the Foundation. The Jean-Marie Lehn Foundation’s thesis award, worth €1,500, recognizes outstanding, innovative, and impactful research conducted in the Strasbourg area.
The Foundation extends its warmest congratulations to Charlou Rognan and Maciej Piejko and wishes them continued success in their careers.
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