Mihály Pósfai was born at Szombathely, Hungary, in 1963. He received his M.Sc. 1987 in geology, and in 1992 his doctoral degree in Mineralogy at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, with the thesis "Stacking disorder and cation ordering in some sulfide minerals with close-packed structures". Since 1994, he is assistant professor at the Veszprém University in Hungary. Dr. Pósfai is author or co-outhor of more than 20 publications in intrnational journals og high reputation. He developed his skills and knowledge in the field og transmission electron microscopy of minerals in electron microscope laboratories at Budapest, Stockholm University (1991-1992), and Arisona State University (1992-1994, 1996-1998).
Mihály Pósfai receives the medal for his outstanding contribution to the mineral sciences in the field of sulfide minerals, aerosol particles, and biomineralization in magnetostatic bacteria.