Bruker Corporation. (4/13/26). "Press Release: Günther Laukien Prize Awarded to Guido Pintacuda and Ago Samoson. Honoring Pioneers of Ultra-Fast Magic-Angle Spinning Solid-State NMR". Asilomar, CA.

	Region	California (federal state)
	Country	United States (USA)
	Organisation	Bruker BioSpin (Operating Business of Bruker Corporation)
	Group	Bruker (Group)
	Product	NMR spectroscopy
	Product 2	ENC Conference 2026 Pacific Grove
	Person	Pintacuda, Guido (CNRS 202604 Director of High-Field NMR Center Lyon)
	Person 2	Samoson, Ago (TalTech 202604 Head of Spin Design Laboratory)

At the 2026 Experimental Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Conference (ENC), the Günther Laukien Prize was awarded to Guido Pintacuda of CNRS, Lyon, France, and Ago Samoson of Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech), Estonia. The award recognizes their long-standing contributions to high-speed magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR, including the development of ultra-fast spinning probes and rotors and the experimental methods that enable novel studies of complex systems, across structural biology, chemistry, and materials science.

Established in 1999, the Günther Laukien Prize is presented annually at ENC to honor groundbreaking experimental NMR research with strong potential for enabling new applications.

Dr. Guido Pintacuda, CNRS Director of Research and Director of the High-Field NMR Center (CNRS, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon and Lyon 1 Université), has played a key role in advancing fast magic-angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR through long-standing collaboration with Bruker scientists. His work has contributed to the evolution of MAS from early fast-spinning approaches to today’s ultra-fast (>100 kHz) regimes, combining methodological innovation with demanding applications. In particular, the development of proton-detected approaches at high magnetic fields for the study of membrane proteins, biomolecular assemblies, paramagnetic systems, and functional materials has significantly broadened the scope and impact of solid-state NMR across disciplines.

Dr. Ago Samoson, Head of the Spin Design Laboratory at Tallinn University of Technology, and his team are widely recognized as one of the pioneers of high-resolution solid-state NMR. His work has driven major advances in MAS technology, including the design of probes and rotors and the development of experimental approaches that enable high-resolution studies of quadrupolar nuclei, disordered solids, functional materials, and biological systems. His pioneering contributions have been instrumental in establishing MAS - particularly ultra-fast spinning (50–200 kHz) enabling low-power decoupling and inverse detection - as a versatile platform for investigating structure and dynamics in complex solids across numerous universities.

Together, the contributions of Guido Pintacuda and Ago Samoson, along with enabling technology innovations by ultra-fast MAS probe designers, span the arc of enabling high-speed MAS solid-state NMR, from fundamental rotor and MAS control hardware and firmware development to experimental methods and their applications across structural biology, chemistry, and materials science. By honoring their work, the 2026 Günther Laukien Prize recognizes not only scientific excellence, but also the long-term technological and methodological progress that has driven solid-state NMR to new levels of resolution and applicability.

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Record changed: 2026-05-18