Roques-Carmes Named MIT Tech Review Innovator Under 35

The MIT Technology Review has named Charles Roques-Carmes, a French physicist at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), to its Innovators Under 35 list. The highly competitive annual recognition showcases 35 young trailblazers working on groundbreaking research and innovative technological solutions.

Roques-Carmes, who heads his own research group at ISTA, has pioneered nanophotonic scintillators—a new approach that could make X-ray imaging clearer and more sensitive. By redesigning the materials that convert X-rays into light at the nanoscale, he demonstrated a 10-fold increase in detector sensitivity in 2022 and is now adapting the technology, already tested in an initial preclinical demonstration, for potential use in medical imaging.

550 nominations, 35 winners

Securing one of just 35 spots on the Innovators under 35 list, closely watched and first published in 1999, is keenly contested. Chosen candidates go through a rigorous selection process: The MIT Technology Review said it received 550 nominations from around the world this year, both from its staff and the public. Editors narrowed these down to 110 semi-finalists who were then evaluated by 44 judges.

“By finding the top innovators globally and learning what they’re focused on in their work, we aim to give readers a sense of what advances to expect in the years to come,” wrote Amy Nordrum, the MIT Technology Review’s executive editor of operations.

Each winner falls into one of the following categories: AI, biotechnology, climate and energy, and computing and robotics.

‘Incredibly exciting’

“It is incredibly exciting to see our research recognized not only for its scientific impact, but also for its potential to translate into transformative technologies,” says Roques-Carmes, who is 32.

“I’m humbled to join a list of past TR35 awardees whose work and careers I deeply admire, and I hope to live up to those expectations. Most of all, I’m excited about what comes next.”

Roques-Carmes joined ISTA as an assistant professor in June 2026. Previously, he spent three years as a postdoctoral Science Fellow at Stanford University. He earned both a PhD and a master’s degree in electrical engineering and computer science from MIT, where he also served as a postdoctoral associate.

Just last week, the European Research Council announced that Roques-Carmes was among five ISTA early-career researchers to receive a Starting Grant. His grant totals €2.5 million.

For more details: profile of Charles Roques-Carmes on the MIT Technology Review website.