15 September 2026
Dr James Eills of Forschungszentrum Jülich has been awarded the Felix Bloch Lecture by the Division of Magnetic Resonance of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). The award recognises his pioneering work on parahydrogen-induced hyperpolarisation, a method that can significantly enhance signals in nuclear magnetic resonance.
James Eills leads a junior research group at the Institute for Biological Information Processes - Structural Biochemistry (IBI-7) at Forschungszentrum Jülich. His research focuses on ways of selectively enhancing very weak signals in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR).
NMR also provides the physical basis for magnetic resonance imaging, better known as MRI. It can provide detailed insights into the structure of molecules and the human body, but reaches its limits when signals are particularly weak. Eills and his team therefore use parahydrogen, among other techniques, to temporarily boost the signals emitted by the molecules under investigation. This makes it possible to visualise substances that are barely detectable using conventional methods. In the longer term, such approaches could help researchers investigate metabolic processes and diseases with greater precision.
The GDCh Division of Magnetic Resonance generally awards the Felix Bloch Lecture once a year. It recognises outstanding scientific achievements by advanced early-career researchers in the field of magnetic resonance, with particular consideration given to publications from the preceding five years. The award comprises a certificate, prize money of €1,000 and several scientific lectures. It will be presented on 14 September 2026 during the annual meeting of the GDCh Division of Magnetic Resonance in Mainz.
For James Eills, the Felix Bloch Lecture represents another major recognition of his work. Earlier this year, he received the Varian Young Investigator Award for methods that significantly enhance MRI signals.
The award highlights the potential of new magnetic resonance techniques not only to enable more precise measurements, but also, in the longer term, to open up new avenues for biomedical research.
