Uppsala Photon Science Award 2025

The Centre for Photon Science is happy to announce Melanie During as the winner of the Uppsala Photon Science Award 2025.

I am a vertebrate palaeontologist specialising in life just before the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (KPg) extinction event in North Dakota. Using advanced synchrotron imaging at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), I uncovered evidence revealing that the catastrophic meteorite impact, that occurred 66 million years ago and ended the era of the dinosaurs, struck during boreal spring. The synchrotron scans also confirmed the presence of space debris in the gills of fossil fish, offering a direct snapshot of the day of the impact. Recognising the challenges of traditional segmentation, I co-developed ML4Paleo, an AI-driven tool that democratizes access to synchrotron data analysis, making it possible for researchers everywhere to study (synchrotron) scanned fossils with unprecedented ease. I am passionate about fostering an inclusive scientific community, collaborating with citizen scientists, and ensuring that research remains open, transparent, supported by data, and accessible to all."