Ignas Juodžbalis Awarded Prestigious Gruber Foundation Fellowship in Astrophysics

The future MPA postdoc Ignas Juodžbalis has been named a recipient of the 2026 Gruber Foundation Fellowship in Astrophysics. The award, administered by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), recognizes exceptional early-career researchers and provides a $75,000 USD research grant to support groundbreaking work.
 

The Lithuanian astrophysicist Ignas Juodžbalis, who will complete his PhD in July 2026 at the University of Cambridge, will join MPA in October 2026 as a postdoctoral researcher. His research focuses on the origin and evolution of supermassive black holes and their intricate relationship with host galaxies. Leveraging data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and other cutting-edge observatories, his project will investigate active galactic nuclei in the early universe, aiming to refine our understanding of black hole formation and feedback mechanisms across cosmic time.

The fellowship grant will support computational resources, travel to international conferences, and the organization of scientific events. The selection committee, chaired by IAU Vice-President Hyesung Kang, praised the outstanding quality of this year’s three applications: “The committee was deeply impressed by the quality, originality, and breadth of this year’s applications. The proposals reflect a wide range of topics in modern astrophysics, marked by strong scientific ambition and creativity.” In addition to Ignas Juodžbalis, the prize was also awarded to Iris de Ruiter, and Mor Rozner.