The Nemitsas Foundation, an institution that is now in its 8th year, has awarded a female scientist the Nemitsas Foundation Award for the first time in its history. The award was granted to Anastasia Ailamaki, a Nicosia native, who is a professor for the Computer Science Department at the Federal University of Lausanne.The Nemitsas Foundation was founded in 2009, fulfilling the decades-long desire of Mr. Takis Nemitsas, who wished to give back to the Republic of Cyprus for the support offered to him when making his first business steps.
This award ceremony takes place annually, and aims to honor Cypriots (both native and expatriates), who are distinguished for their scientific and artistic contributions around the world. “These people are impacting our society in very important ways, and their contribution must be recognized and promoted,” stressed Mr. Nemitsas, who envisioned an institution that was the equivalent of the Nobel Prizes, but on a scale suited to the size of our small island.
When putting together the nominations for the Nemitsas Foundation Awards, the Board of Directors consulted the standards of some 25 international award institutions. Winners were chosen with the assistance of the Foundation’s Academic Council, which is based in London and is made up of distinguished academics from all across the world. A three-member academic committee examines the applications submitted by the candidates. The committee responsible for awarding the 2018 prize to Anastasia Ailamaki comprised Professors Joseph Sifakis (Joseph Sifakis (Université Grenoble Alpes, France), Tony Hey (Chief Data Scientist at Science and Technology Facilities Council, UK) and Constantinos Daskalakis (MIT, USA).
