Matilda Backholm received Väisälä award granted by the Finnish Academy of Sciences and Letters

Aalto University’s Assistant Professor Matilda Backholm has been awarded the prestigious Väisälä Prize, a recognition granted annually by the Finnish Academy of Sciences and Letters to distinguished researchers in mathematics and natural sciences. Backholm received the award for her groundbreaking research into the physics of microscopically small organisms, focusing on how physical forces shape behaviour in soft, fluid, and biological systems. According to the Academy’s award jury, her work has significantly deepened scientific understanding of how tiny organisms—such as brine shrimp—adapt to their environments.

The Finnish Academy of Sciences and Letters, which administers and funds the Väisälä Prize, plays a key role in promoting excellence in scientific research by honoring leading early-career scientists whose work advances their fields. In Backholm’s case, the Academy recognized not only her scientific contributions but also the broader impact of her innovations, including a highly sensitive micropipette force sensor she developed to measure the viscoelastic properties and movement dynamics of microscopic organisms. Her findings may influence future biomedical technologies such as swallowable micro-robotic surgical systems. The €15,000 prize was awarded at a ceremony held on 8 December 2025 in Helsinki.

Sources:

Research into physics of microscopically tiny organisms lands prestigious prize | Aalto University

Finnish Academy of Science and Letters honours a researcher studying the movement of microscopic organisms and a passionate solver of mathematical challenges - Tiedeakatemia