The eleventh Biruni Commemoration and Young Researchers’ Recognition Ceremony has been held by the Basic Sciences Division of the Iranian Academy of Sciences. The event took place on Thursday, 23 October 2025.

In this ceremony, five outstanding researchers of the country in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and geology, who have made significant contributions to advancing the frontiers of knowledge, were honoured.

According to the official report of the Academy of Sciences, Dr Hossein Moulavi, assistant professor at the Department of Chemistry, and Dr Mohammad Hassan Vahidinia, assistant professor at the Department of Physics at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), have been recognised as the country’s distinguished young researchers in chemistry and physics, respectively.

In his presentation on the design of novel adsorbents for water purification and environmental pollution reduction, Dr Hossein Moulavi said,

“Only a small fraction of the Earth’s water is suitable for human use, and even that limited amount is under threat of contamination. Therefore, developing innovative and efficient water purification methods is a vital necessity.”

Referring to his research group’s efforts to develop metal–organic framework (MOF) adsorbents, he added,

“Our goal is to design adsorbents with a high specific surface area and green synthesis methods so that pollutants can be removed without generating secondary contamination. This approach can play a key role in protecting the environment and improving the quality of water resources.”

In his presentation on the duality of gravity and quantum theory and the memory effect of gravitational waves, Dr Mohammad Hassan Vahidinia stated,

“My research focuses on understanding the connection between large-scale cosmic phenomena and subatomic particles; two seemingly distinct areas that, when studied together, can provide deeper insight into the fundamental laws of physics.”

He described black holes as “nature’s thought laboratories” and said,

“Studying them provides an opportunity to test theories of gravity and quantum mechanics under conditions unattainable in conventional laboratories. By modelling simple fluids in our recent studies, we have observed patterns resembling the memory effect of gravitational waves, which can offer new ways of teaching and simulating complex physical phenomena.”

The IASBS leadership has expressed appreciation for the remarkable achievements of these two faculty members and has extended their congratulations to the entire university community; faculty, researchers, and students; especially to Dr Hossein Moulavi and Dr Mohammad Hassan Vahidinia.