Thomas Spieksma Awarded IDA PhD Prize 2025

The IDA PhD Prize is awarded annually to the most scientifically outstanding PhD thesis defended at a Danish university within the fields of astronomy and astrophysics.

This year’s prize was awarded to Dr Thomas Spieksma for his PhD thesis, Exploring Black Hole Environments, defended in September 2025. The thesis focused on advancing the modelling of a variety of environments around black holes, including clouds of ultralight bosonic particles and plasmas, while placing strong emphasis on prospects for detection with future gravitational-wave observatories.

The IDA PhD Prize Committee consisted of Mia Sloth Lundkvist (AU), Jes Jørgensen (KU), and Bitten Gullberg (DTU). The committee highlighted the scientific rigour of the thesis, the clarity of its presentation, and the already significant impact of its results on the scientific community.

The award was presented at the Annual Danish Astronomy Meeting (ADAM), held on 12–13 May 2026 in Odense.

May 14, 2026, 10:25 a.m.