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In an unprecedented scientific achievement that adds to Egypt’s legacy of excellence and that of Ain Shams University, Dr. Tamer Mohamed Sami El-Kafrawy, Professor in the Department of Physics at the Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, and Dr. Shaimaa Abou Zeid, faculty member at the Faculty of Girls, Ain Shams University, have been awarded the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics. This prestigious prize, often dubbed the "Oscars of Science," is among the most distinguished scientific awards globally.

The Breakthrough Prize Foundation announced that the grand prize has been awarded to the four Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments, ATLAS, CMS, ALICE, and LHCb, operated by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland. The award recognizes the contributions of more than 13,500 scientists from over 70 countries for their analysis and publication of proton collision data between 2015 and July 15, 2024. This represents the largest group award ever given in the history of physics and serves as an extraordinary tribute to the global scientific community that has helped unravel fundamental interactions in nature.

The recognition of two scientists from Ain Shams University with such a prestigious award highlights the institution's outstanding research talent and its active participation in major international projects. It is a testament to the advanced level of scientific research in Egypt.

Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of Ain Shams University, and Prof. Amani Osama Kamel, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, along with the university’s Awards Office, expressed their immense pride and extended heartfelt congratulations to Dr. El-Kafrawy and Dr. Abou Zeid. They affirmed that this scientific honor reflects the excellence of young researchers at the university and reinforces Ain Shams’ position as a leading scientific institution on the international stage.

Dr. Tamer El-Kafrawy has received numerous local and international accolades, including Ain Shams University’s International Publication Awards and the Mohamed Amin Lotfy Physics Award (2015). He has also been honored with several research awards in the United States during and after his doctoral studies. He joined CERN in 2013 as a postdoctoral researcher and held several leadership roles, representing the University of Florida. His research has focused on dark matter potentially generated by the LHC, and he contributed to the development and operation of muon detectors within the CMS experiment. He has led research projects aimed at reducing noise and enhancing the performance of the muon detectors’ front-end electronics. He has also overseen the analysis of CMS data related to Higgs and vector bosons, currently serving as a reviewer and approver for muon-related research within the CMS collaboration. He is also an international reviewer for leading journals such as Physical Review Letters and supervises numerous PhD students from various countries.

Dr. Shaimaa Abou Zeid holds a PhD in Experimental Particle Physics from Ain Shams University in collaboration with Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium (2018). She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN). She serves as the Deputy CMS-GEM Technical Coordinator for the CMS experiment at CERN, leading a technical team responsible for the development and operation of advanced GEM detectors. Her academic portfolio includes over 500 peer-reviewed publications, along with active participation in international collaborations and significant contributions to science communication and community outreach.

The announcement of the award took place during a ceremony in the United States on April 5, 2025, attended by a distinguished group of scientists and prominent figures in the field of physics.

This scientific achievement reflects Ain Shams University’s commitment to supporting young researchers and scientists, fostering a culture of innovation and creativity, and empowering its scholars to participate in major global research initiatives. It contributes to elevating Egypt’s scientific standing regionally and internationally and supports the development of a knowledge-based and innovation-driven society.