In 2025, the Ragnar Wighus Award goes to …
The winner of the 2025 Ragnar Wighus Award has been announced: Azad Hamzehpour, a Ph.D. graduate from the Polytechnic University of Turin, Italy. Under the supervision of Prof. Vittorio Verda and Prof. Romano Borchiellini, Azad completed his doctoral thesis focused on fire protection using water mist.
As is tradition, the award winner will present his work at the upcoming International Water Mist Conference (#IWMC2025), taking place on 24th and 25th September in Manchester, UK. Azad will introduce his Ph.D. thesis titled “Experimental and Simulation Analysis of Water Mist Systems for Shielded Fire Applications” to a professional audience of researchers and industry experts.
Azad Hamzehpour says:
“I’m deeply honored to receive this award for my Ph.D. thesis. It’s incredibly rewarding to have my work recognized in this way, and I’m grateful to my supervisors and colleagues for their support throughout the journey. This recognition inspires me to continue pursuing research that contributes to meaningful advances in the field.”
The Ragnar Wighus Award is presented annually by the International Water Mist Association (IWMA). The award was named in 2023 in memory of the late Ragnar Wighus, former president of IWMA. Before that, it was known as the “IWMA Young Talent Award.” Since its first presentation in 2016, the award has highlighted exceptional research in the field of water mist fire protection. Submissions are reviewed by the IWMA Scientific Council, chaired by Max Lakkonen (IFAB).
In 2026, the Ragnar Wighus Award will go to the author of the best master’s thesis.
For more information, visit www.iwma.net.
