Engineering Alum Receives Prigogine Prize for Thermodynamics
June 3, 2025 - UC Irvine alumna Olga Movilla Miangolarra ’23 has won the 2025 Prigogine Prize for Thermodynamics in recognition of her doctoral thesis. As part of the honor, Movilla Miangolarra received 2,000 euros and was invited to deliver a lecture at the Joint European Thermodynamics Conference held May 26-30 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Movilla Miangolarra earned her doctorate in mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCI, under the supervision of Distinguished Professor Tryphon Georgiou. Her thesis focused on how thermodynamic engines harvest energy from thermal anisotropy in their environment. She provided theoretical analysis, a proof-of-concept, as well as derived fundamental limits on the maximal power that can be drawn from thermal gradients.
Her work sheds light on how some molecular motors may also be powered by the anisotropy in chemical potentials and concentration gradients. Her dissertation was selected and published by Springer as a research monograph in the series “Springer Theses: Recognizing Outstanding Ph.D. Research.” After graduating, Movilla Miangolarra continued her work as a postdoctoral fellow in Georgiou’s lab until December 2024, when she was awarded the Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship and joined the Physics Department at the University of La Laguna, Spain.
“I am truly honored and proud to receive this prestigious award with such a grand history,” said Movilla Miangolarra. “I am immensely grateful to my Ph.D. adviser, Professor Georgiou, for unconditionally supporting me every step of the way.”
Miangolarra’s thesis was chosen from among 18 submissions from 12 different countries. The Ilya Prigogine Prize for Thermodynamics was initially established in 2001 by the European Center for Advanced Studies in Thermodynamics, and was patronized by the Nobel laureate Ilya Prigogine while he was alive. The prize has been awarded every other year as part of the tradition of the Joint European Thermodynamics Conference (JETC) series.
– Lori Brandt
