This year, four female and six male researchers are to receive the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize – Germany’s most prestigious award for researchers in the early stages of their academic career. This was decided by the Joint Committee of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) in Bonn. Each prizewinner will receive €200,000, which they can use for further research work for over a period of up to three years. In addition, there is a programme allowance of 22 percent for indirect project costs. A total of 180 researchers from all scientific disciplines were nominated. The winners were selected by the committee responsible chaired by DFG Vice President and biochemist Professor Dr. Peter H. Seeberger. The award ceremony will be held on 3 June in Berlin.

The Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizes 2025 go to:

• Junior Professor Dr. Peter Andre, Economic Policy, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE, Frankfurt; University of Frankfurt am Main
• Dr. Lukas Bunse, Neurology, Faculty of Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg; University Hospital Mannheim
• Dr. James Eills, Analytical Chemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich
• Junior Professor Dr. Lena Funcke, Computational Particle Physics, University of Bonn
• Junior Professor Dr. Manon Garcia, Practical Philosophy, FU Berlin
• Professor Dr. Richard Höfer, Applied Mathematics, University of Regensburg
• Junior Professor Dr. Sinikka Lennartz, Marine Biogeochemistry, University of Oldenburg
• Professor Dr. Marco Salvalaglio, Computational Materials and Solid-State Modelling, TU Dresden
• Dr. Martin Schmitz, Human–Machine Interaction, Saarland University, Saarbrücken
• Dr. Maria Sokolova, Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried

Since 1977, the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize has been awarded annually to outstanding researchers who are at an early stage in their academic career. The prize aims to support and encourage recipients, who do not yet hold a permanent professorship, as they continue to pursue their research paths. They receive the award not only in recognition of their doctoral dissertation but in particular because they have already developed an independent research profile and are contributing valuable research to their field, thereby giving rise to the expectation of further academic excellence in the future.

As of the 2023 round of awards, the DFG has incorporated the prize firmly in its own funding portfolio, having previously awarded it jointly with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). Established in 1980, the prize is named after nuclear physicist and former DFG President Heinz Maier-Leibnitz, during whose term of office (1974-1979) it was first awarded.

The prizewinners in detail:

Professor Dr. Peter Andre, Economic Policy, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE, Frankfurt; University of Frankfurt am Main

Many consumers are aware that their consumption habits influence markets and have an environmental impact – yet they do not believe their actions can help resolve the global environmental crisis. Behavioural economist Peter Andre investigates this issue by exploring how people think about economic interdependencies and what beliefs they hold about other market participants. Alongside climate change, his work also addresses other key economic challenges such as inflation and inequality. His methods include not just cross-national surveys but also economic models and innovative experiments. Peter Andre’s aim is to gain a deeper understanding of human behaviour in economic contexts. This research may also have practical implications – if consumer confidence in the impact of their actions could be strengthened, for example, this could make an important contribution to tackling current crises.

Dr. Lukas Bunse, Neurology, Faculty of Medicine Mannheim, University of Heidelberg; University Hospital Mannheim

A medical researcher in neurology, Lukas Bunse is working to combat brain tumours using immune cells. His focus is on high-grade gliomas – tumours caused by mutations in cells of the brain or spinal cord which are extremely difficult to treat. As a researching physician in the area of neurology, Lukas Bunse’s goal is to understand these tumours more precisely in order to develop effective immunotherapies based on these insights. Such therapies involve genetically modifying the body’s own immune cells so that they specifically target tumour cells. At the moment, gliomas are primarily treated by means of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Bunse’s research has the potential to complement or even replace these approaches by means of more low-impact treatment options in future. His findings may also pave the way for applying these methods to other brain tumours or different types of cancer.

Dr. James Eills, Analytical Chemistry, Forschungszentrum Jülich

How do atoms behave in a magnetic field? What interactions do they enter into with other atoms? These dynamics form the basis of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy – a method used to study chemical processes in microchips and biological processes in the human body. The sensitivity of this method is limited, however. This is where hyperpolarisation techniques come in: they amplify the signals obtained through nuclear magnetic resonance. Working at the intersection of physics and chemistry, James Eills uses para-hydrogen for this technique, which significantly enhances imaging in magnetic resonance tomography. This approach also allows for a more detailed understanding of chemical processes and enzyme activity in the body – making it easier to identify diseases.


Junior Professor Dr. Lena Funcke, Computational Particle Physics, University of Bonn

Particle physics still faces some major unresolved questions, such as why do neutrinos have such tiny masses, and why is there so much more matter than antimatter in the universe? Lena Funcke is tackling these and other as yet unanswered questions. Her wide-ranging research lies at the intersection of theoretical physics, computer science and mathematics, where she works on new computational methods to study quantum field theories. This includes developing algorithms for both quantum computers and conventional computers – using machine learning – and also creating new models that go beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Her goal is to make predictions for future experiments that can provide deeper insights into the fundamental processes of nature. Funcke’s research has already opened up new directions – including the development of a model to explain the extremely small mass of neutrinos.

Junior Professor Dr. Manon Garcia, Practical Philosophy, FU Berlin

What does it mean to be free – to make free choices and act freely? When and why do people choose to give up their freedom? And how does the distinction between women and men play into this? Manon Garcia addresses these fundamental questions from a new perspective within the field of practical philosophy. In her doctoral thesis, she authored one of the most important works on the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir, offering an original feminist view: she interprets women’s submission not only as external oppression but also as a conscious decision – made out of habit or even desire. Garcia also examines questions of consent in the context of sexual activity. Her research shows that rape is far more common than public discourse often acknowledges. How can this be – and what does it reveal about our society? This means that Manon Garcia’s philosophical work is of outstanding social and political relevance.

Professor Dr. Richard Höfer, Applied Mathematics, University of Regensburg

Richard Höfer studies the mathematical properties of differential equations that describe physical phenomena. He has made groundbreaking advances in the mathematically rigorous treatment of suspensions – systems in which small particles are dispersed in liquids or gases. While each particle could in theory be modelled individually, this becomes impractical when dealing with thousands or even millions of particles, which requires a macroscopic approach. Höfer’s goal is to gain fundamental insights into interactions that are difficult to capture through experiments or simulations. Instead of modelling individual particles, he models clouds of particles. Suspensions are widespread in nature – such as in aerosols and biological fluids – so Höfer’s theoretical work is also relevant to environmental and medical technology.


Junior Professor Dr. Sinikka Lennartz, Marine Biogeochemistry, University of Oldenburg

Carbon is constantly cycling through the Earth system, and the ocean plays a central role in this process – absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, transforming it through biological processes and storing it in other forms. At the same time, it also releases climate-relevant substances such as trace gases back into the atmosphere. Marine biogeochemist Sinikka Lennartz studies these reciprocal processes and has already made significant contributions to our understanding of the global carbon cycle. She has shown that the pool of dissolved organic carbon in the ocean – previously thought to be stable – is actually much more responsive to environmental changes than previously assumed. Her research combines Earth system models with laboratory and field work at sea, allowing her to examine biogeochemical processes from the molecular and cellular level up to entire ocean basins and on a full global scale. Her findings are crucial when it comes to modelling future climate scenarios.

Professor Dr. Marco Salvalaglio, Computational Materials and Solid-State Modelling, TU Dresden

In order to develop new high-performance materials, it is essential to understand their properties from the atomic to the macroscopic scale – in other words from their smallest building blocks to their broader structure. Starting from the geometric arrangement of atoms and molecules, materials scientist and applied mathematician Marco Salvalaglio investigates how materials behave. One key focus of his work is the elastic and plastic behaviour of metals. Salvalaglio uses special methods based on amplitude equations which allow for suitable scale-bridging and reconstructions across different length scales. The resulting mathematical equations enable efficient modelling and simulation of crystalline materials.

Dr. Martin Schmitz, Human–Machine Interaction, Saarland University, Saarbrücken

Today’s world is hard to imagine without portable, connected computing systems like smartphones, tablets and laptops. This success story of computer science is not least thanks to advances in human–computer interaction. For instance, the shift from keyboards and screens to gesture control with touch-sensitive displays required numerous innovations – and the potential for further developments remains. Martin Schmitz conducts research into such new forms of human–machine interfaces, laying the groundwork for future interactions between people and intelligent systems such as robots. He shows great creativity in exploring new interaction forms, such as by creating sensors using 3D printing. Schmitz also co-developed a thermal display made of heat-conducting tubes, which allows researchers to study how stimuli are perceived in virtual environments. His work opens up new possibilities in medicine, rehabilitation and industrial robotics.


Dr. Maria Sokolova, Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried

Maria Sokolova studies bacteriophages – viruses that infect only bacteria and differ significantly from cellular organisms in certain key features. In cellular organisms, many crucial enzymes – such as RNA polymerases – are highly conserved, meaning they have remained largely unchanged throughout evolution. By contrast, RNA polymerases in bacteriophages display unique properties that are not found in their cellular counterparts. Biochemist Maria Sokolova investigates these differences and has already gained valuable insights into evolutionary processes. Her findings are also relevant to biotechnology, where phages are valued for their ability to adapt quickly and flexibly. Maria Sokolova’s research focuses in particular on the transcription mechanisms of these unusual phage RNA polymerases – the biological processes by which genetic information is transferred from DNA to RNA.