At an awards ceremony held on September 18, 2025 in Düsseldorf, Dr. Jingyuan Xu from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) was honored with the “For Women in Science” sponsorship award in recognition of her pioneering research into environmentally friendly cooling technologies. Together with three other female scientists from Germany, she received the EUR 25,000 award, which is offered by L’Oréal, the German Commission for UNESCO, and the German Humboldt Network. Since its launch in 1998, the programme’s goal has been to raise the visibility of excellent women in science worldwide.
“This award acknowledges Dr. Xu’s outstanding scientific achievements and her vision for society. With her focus on cooling technologies, she has dedicated her research to a matter that is taken for granted, but has a high societal, economic, and ecologic relevance”, says Professor Dr. Oliver Kraft, KIT’s Vice President Academic Affairs. “The ‘For Women in Science’ award shows how significant the contribution of female scientists to research and technological development is on a worldwide level”
Sustainable Cooling and Heating
Since 2021, Dr. Jingyuan Xu from KIT’s Institute of Microstructure Technology has been head of the “Zero-emission and eco-friendly heating and cooling technologies” (ZEco Thermal Lab) research group, where she and her team are developing technologies based on the elastocaloric effect. This effect determines that certain materials heat up and cool down when exposed to mechanical stress and relief – without the use of any climate-damaging refrigerants.
The ZEco Thermal Lab is working on various applications: from cooling on the micro-level, for example in electronics, to large appliances such as refrigerators and air-conditioning systems. “We are doing pioneering work, tryingto rethink technology from scratch,” says Xu. Currently, around three billion room-cooling units are in use worldwide. They account for 20 per cent of the total global electricity consumption. The market is still dominated by conventional compression refrigerating machines, a technology whose origin dates back two centuries and that relies on gaseous refrigerants with a high greenhouse warming potential.
Dr. Jingyuan Xu expressed her gratitude for the award: “I’m pleased that my research is acknowledged with this award. I hope it’s encourage young women especially, to tackle the great challenges our planet is facing. There are plenty of them and we need all the clever ideas we can get for a future worth living in!”
Video portrait from KIT of Dr. Jingyuan Xu (February 2025)
“For Women in Science” Program Has Been Promoting Women in Science since 1998
Following the motto “The world needs science, and science needs women”, the Fondation L’Oréal and the UNESCO have been campaigning for the promotion of excellent women in research since 1998. Thanks to their “For Women in Science” program, established since 2007 in Germany as well, they have already granted awards to 4,400 female scientists worldwide, seven of them later became Nobel Prize laureates. In Germany, the program is organized in cooperation with the Deutsches Humboldt-Netzwerk e.V. (German Humboldt Network). To date, more than 50 female early-career researchers in Germany have received the award.
More Information on the 2025 “For Women in Science” Sponsorship Award
In close partnership with society, KIT develops solutions for urgent challenges – from climate change, energy transition and sustainable use of natural resources to artificial intelligence, sovereignty and an aging population. As The University in the Helmholtz Association, KIT unites scientific excellence from insight to application-driven research under one roof – and is thus in a unique position to drive this transformation. As a University of Excellence, KIT offers its more than 10,000 employees and 22,800 students outstanding opportunities to shape a sustainable and resilient future. KIT – Science for Impact.