Award Recipients

This year, eight young scientists from Baden-Württemberg were honored for their work with awards totaling 85,000 euros. The purpose of these endowed awards is to encourage researchers during the early stages of their careers and to support their scientific work. 
The awards were presented during the Annual Celebration of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities on June 20.

The Academy Prize (internal link), established in 1984 by the Association for the Promotion of the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, will be awarded in 2026 to Jun.-Prof. Dr. Lena Barra of the University of Konstanz. The chemist is being honored for her work in the field of enzyme and natural product research.

Natural products have always played a central role as lead structures for drugs. While research has traditionally focused on established Classes, Dr. Barra aims to explore novel metabolic pathways beyond these systems. This opens the door to previously unknown molecular structures and functionalities, which in turn offer new perspectives for biomedical and biotechnological applications. The award-winning work focuses on non-classical terpenes. Ms. Barra was able to demonstrate that nature breaks the fundamental structural principle of this class of natural products—the so-called isoprene rule—according to which terpenes are always composed of multiples of five carbon atoms. The natural products she discovered contain an additional carbon atom in the form of a methyl group and are based on novel enzymatic mechanisms. The particular significance of the discovery lies in the fact that even the smallest structural changes—such as the insertion of a methyl group—can drastically influence a molecule’s properties, a phenomenon known as the “magic methyl effect” that has remained virtually unexplored in terpenes to date. Ms. Barras’s work not only demonstrates that nature systematically utilizes methylation in terpene skeletons but also opens up new possibilities for developing the underlying enzymes as tools to introduce methylations in a targeted manner and thus produce new molecules with tailor-made properties for pharmaceutical and industrial applications.

The Karl Freudenberg Award (internal link) was established in 1986 by the globally active technology company Freudenberg Group to mark the 100th birthday of Prof. Dr. Karl Freudenberg. It is awarded for scientific work in the natural sciences—particularly chemistry and biology. 

This year, physicist Dr. Anna Rosławska is being awarded the Karl Freudenberg Award for her work “Submolecular-scale control of phototautomerization”. In her research, Rosławska develops hyper-resolution optical microscopy. She applies optical methods to atomic length scales and uses them to push the boundaries of our understanding of the mechanisms behind photosynthesis and light absorption. She achieves this extraordinary precision by combining scanning tunneling microscopy with optical spectroscopy. Using these techniques, she is able to investigate how individual electrons are converted into photons, how energy transfer—a central process of photosynthesis—occurs on the atomic scale, and how fluorescence can be controlled by individual charges. Furthermore, Ms. Rosławska was the first to demonstrate ultimate control over a photoinduced reaction by directing light specifically at a part of a molecule, which opens up new possibilities in photochemistry. Such investigations of individual atoms and molecules provide fundamental new insights into energy conversion between photons and electrons and contribute to the future development of more complex structures capable of utilizing energy from sunlight as efficiently as possible.

Recognizing the great importance of research in the humanities and social sciences, Witzenmann GmbH established the Walter Witzenmann Award (internal link) in 1997 to support emerging scholars in Baden-Württemberg. The award honors works that address significant social and cultural changes and/or the possibilities and impacts of technological transformation, and—in the case of historical works—demonstrate a connection to the present.
This year, ethnologist Dr. Hannah Kanz (University of Freiburg) is being awarded the Walter Witzenmann Award for her dissertation “Being Offline: An Ethnography of Practices of Disconnection.” In it, the award recipient analyzes new societal and individual forms of media and technology criticism and the contemporary practice of refraining from smartphone use as a form of disconnection, tracing their cultural and social conditions. In this ethnographic study, Dr. Kanz examines sociotechnical imaginaries and practices that give rise to “disconnection” as a qualitatively different state. To this end, she explores the construction of offline spaces, analyzes the potential of technical objects, and examines newly emerging rhythms of everyday life. Ultimately, “disconnection” is linked to the fundamental question of how people wish to relate—to themselves and to their technical and sociomaterial environments.

The Viktor & Sigrid Dulger Foundation Ecology Prize (internal link) is intended to support scientific work in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and engineering that addresses environmental problems and their solutions.
TT-Prof. Dr. Benjamin Schäfer, who is receiving this award this year, is working to increase the stability and resilience of the power grid using transparent, explainable AI methods. He combines physical modeling, machine learning, and open data to quantify fluctuations in the energy system and explain their causes. In his award-winning work, Schäfer, together with colleagues from Potsdam, Oldenburg, London (UK), Ås (NO), Dresden, and Klagenfurt, Schäfer has developed a data-driven load profile. This could be used in the future to better regulate the balance between supply and demand. Energy providers use consumption data to estimate the electricity needed on a timescale ranging from seconds to days. These estimates are based on a standard load profile, which is partly derived from measurements taken many years ago. Modern households, however, now have new and volatile devices (solar panels, electric cars, smart devices) that can lead to rapid fluctuations in consumption. To ensure the power system continues to operate stably and cost-effectively in the future, we therefore need flexible methods to estimate electricity consumption at high resolution. “The better we know consumption in advance, the better we can plan power generation or intermediate storage,” says Schäfer.

To encourage emerging researchers and ensure that outstanding scientific achievements receive the recognition they deserve, entrepreneur Dr. Dr. h.c. Manfred Fuchs has established a research award to support emerging researchers in Baden-Württemberg.
In 2026, Privatdozent Dr. Christian A. Neumann will be awarded the Manfred Fuchs Award (internal link) for his habilitation thesis, in which he examines the topic of age and aging among medieval rulers. Age(ing) is a universal and multifaceted phenomenon: it is both a gradual biological process and a historically variable construct. Therefore, age(ing) can be situated at the intersection of nature and culture. Against this backdrop, and from the perspective of medieval studies—where interest in the topic is steadily growing—it makes sense, for a deeper understanding of the phenomenon, to explore it not only through the theories and methods of the discipline itself but also through an interdisciplinary approach. To this end, it makes sense to seek an interconnection with modern gerontology, which addresses aging in fields such as biology, medicine, psychology, and sociology. The convergence of medieval studies and gerontology has given rise to the approach known as “gerontomedieval studies,” which combines these two previously separate scholarly traditions to gain new empirical insights, develop more robust theoretical frameworks, and test gerontological concepts against premodern sources. This approach is applied to the topic of age and rule in the High and Late Middle Ages. The overarching question can be formulated as the relevance of the factor “age” to human action, examined using the example of political rulers, for whom particularly extensive sources are available. Discourses on age—particularly medical discourse and the question of the ideal age for rule—as well as narrative depictions of elderly rulers and their practical approaches to aging are examined comparatively through three case studies: Venice as a secular electoral system, the Papacy as a spiritual electoral system, and England as a hereditary monarchy. The gerontomedievalist perspective can provide new impetus to these established fields of research.

In 2016, the Schmeil Foundation established the Otto Schmeil Award (internal link) in 2016 to support early-career scientists in biological and medical research. The award is dedicated to the memory of the biologist Otto Schmeil and is awarded every two years by the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Biologist Dr. Franziska Hentzschel focuses her research on how to prevent the reproduction of the malaria pathogen. She is now being honored with the Otto Schmeil Award for her groundbreaking work. 
Malaria is caused by single-celled parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which are transmitted to humans by the Anopheles mosquito. To spread further, the parasites must multiply in the mosquito’s gut and form male and female gametes. The development of the male gametes is particularly striking: within about 15 minutes, the parasite triples its genetic material and distributes it among eight motile, sperm-like cells. The mechanism behind this precise distribution had previously been unclear.
The study identified a previously overlooked protein complex that plays a crucial role in this process: an unusual variant of the actin-related protein 2/3 (Arp2/3) complex. While this complex organizes branched actin networks in the cytoplasm of other eukaryotes, it was long thought to be absent in malaria parasites. However, we were able to show that Plasmodium possesses a highly modified, specialized form that is active during the formation of male gametes.
The starting point was the protein ARPC1, supposedly the only known Arp2/3 subunit in the parasite. If ARPC1 is inactivated, the parasites die inside the mosquito because the genetic material is distributed incorrectly during the formation of male gametes. Although these gametes can still fertilize an egg, development is subsequently arrested, preventing further transmission.
Further analyses revealed that ARPC1 is part of a novel, Plasmodium-specific ARP2/3 complex consisting of only five subunits. This complex does not function in the cytoplasm but in the cell nucleus, where it interacts with the mitotic spindle and kinetochores, promotes actin polymerization, and thus ensures the correct distribution of genetic material.
The results show that this complex plays a key role in the pathogen’s reproduction and offers a promising target for new strategies to interrupt malaria transmission.

The award, made possible by Manfred Lautenschläger through his foundation, specifically benefits the humanities and cultural studies, which he views as disciplines that provide guidance for our present, with a focus on history, society, and culture. It is intended to serve as both a “recognition” and a “driving force” for young researchers.
This year, historian Dr. Joey Rauschenberger will be awarded the Manfred Lautenschläger Award (internal link) for his dissertation on reparations for Sinti and Roma who suffered Nazi injustices in Baden-Württemberg.
During World War II, the Nazi rulers intended to exterminate the Sinti and Roma in Europe. Joey Rauschenberger subjects the notion—which is also prevalent in academic research—that survivors of this genocide were denied reparations after 1945 to a thorough empirical examination. Using Baden-Württemberg as a case study, he conducts the first comprehensive examination of how Sinti and Roma were compensated in the Federal Republic of Germany. This reveals a far more nuanced picture than previously understood. The vast majority of Sinti and Roma who filed claims received payments that were often quite substantial. Rauschenberger situates the procedures within their administrative contexts and outlines an exemplary microhistory of the compensation administration in southwestern Germany. She reveals the complex web of human interaction between case workers, applicants, attorneys, and other actors that turned the compensation process into a “contact zone.” Everyday encounters, experience-based expectations, deep-seated prejudices, and spontaneous actions influenced the practice and perception of reparations. The resulting disappointments often overshadowed and undermined the material compensation provided.

The Hector Foundation Award (internal link) is intended for young researchers in computer science and recognizes their outstanding scientific achievements. This year, Dr. Maximilian Dax is receiving the award for his work in gravitational-wave astronomy. He uses machine learning to analyze data from merging neutron stars more quickly and to determine their physical properties more efficiently.
Merging neutron stars emit two types of signals: gravitational waves and electromagnetic radiation. Observing this light offers enormous scientific potential for studying associated phenomena such as a kilonova, but it requires that telescopes be pointed in the right direction at the right time. Since gravitational-wave detectors cover the entire sky, they are best suited for localization—provided the data analysis is fast enough. Conventional methods often take half an hour, which is too slow to observe the processes that begin immediately after the merger. In their latest paper, the physicist and his team present a machine learning method that analyzes a measured gravitational wave and, based on that analysis, can estimate the position of the neutron stars as well as other important properties in just one second. This acceleration could make it possible in the future to point telescopes almost simultaneously with the merger, thereby advancing research into these extreme astrophysical events.
The method, called DINGO-BNS (Deep Inference for Gravitational-wave Observations from Binary Neutron Stars), is based on deep neural networks that are trained on billions of simulated gravitational waves and thereby learn to extract relevant information from measurements. A key component is a newly developed technique that uses physical relationships to compress gravitational-wave measurements. Only this makes efficient analysis possible, as the raw data is too high-dimensional and complex for neural networks.