Irida Shallari Receives Prestigious Award for Research in Energy‑Efficient AI

Irida Shallari has been awarded the Royal Skyttean Society's 2026 Prize for Outstanding Young Researchers in Natural Sciences and Engineering. The award recognises her research on energy-efficient artificial intelligence for embedded systems and sensor nodes, with a particular focus on image analysis and machine learning in resource-constrained environments.

According to the award citation, Shallari has demonstrated a strong and consistent scientific development since completing her PhD, with extensive international publications, success in securing competitive European research funding, and leading roles in several research projects. Her work combines scientific excellence with practical applications in areas such as railway infrastructure and industrial production. Through research leadership and international collaboration, she has also helped strengthen the research environment at Mitt University.

- This award is a wonderful recognition of the work that our team has built together over many years. I also see it as a testament to the growing importance of energy-efficient AI in addressing future societal challenges and developing solutions that make a real difference, says Irida Shallari.

She emphasises that the development of intelligent systems must go hand in hand with sustainability and efficient use of resources.

- I hope our research can help make advanced AI more accessible and practical, even in environments where energy and computing resources are limited. That opens up new opportunities for innovation in everything from industrial applications to critical infrastructure, says Irida Shallari.

Since 1993, the Royal Skytteanska Society has presented annual awards to outstanding early-career researchers at universities in northern Sweden. The prizes recognise research of high scientific quality and significant societal relevance across a wide range of academic disciplines.