The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is the highest honor in the German research landscape and is awarded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation). This year, ten researchers were chosen from 142 nominees to receive the prize. The winners represent the humanities and social sciences, life sciences, natural sciences, and engineering sciences, with four female researchers and six male researchers. Each winner receives EUR 2.5 million to fund their research work for up to seven years. This year’s awards ceremony took place in Berlin, Germany, on March 19, 2025.

Before the award ceremony, a 40th-anniversary event will allow past winners to network and connect.

 

The following researchers have received the 2025 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize:

•  Volker Haucke, Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP), Berlin
  Biochemistry and Cell Biology
  
  Volker Haucke studies endocytosis in nerve cells, revealing its role in synaptic signal transmission, nerve cell protection, and potential therapeutic targets for cancer. Endocytosis is a cellular process in which a cell engulfs external substances, such as fluids, nutrients, or signaling molecules, by enclosing them in a membrane-bound vesicle.

• Hannes Leitgeb, LMU Munich
  Theoretical Philosophy
  
  Hannes Leitgeb uses mathematics to study philosophy, exploring how beliefs change with new information and how language conveys meaning.

• Bettina Valeska Lotsch, Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart
  Solid-State and Materials Chemistry

  Bettina Valeska Lotsch develops innovative materials to harness and store solar energy, enabling hydrogen production and CO₂ reduction.

• Wolfram Pernice, University of Heidelberg
  Experimental Physics

  Wolfram Pernice develops brain-like computers using light instead of electrons for faster, energy-efficient AI and quantum computing.

• Ana Pombo, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin
  Genomics

  Ana Pombo maps 3D chromosome structures in cells, revealing their role in gene regulation and disease.

• Daniel Rückert, TU Munich
  Artificial Intelligence
  
  Daniel Rückert develops AI algorithms to improve biomedical imaging, enabling faster, more accurate disease diagnosis and treatment.

• Angkana Rüland, University of Bonn
  Applied Mathematics
  
  Angkana Rüland applies mathematical analysis to study phase transitions in solids and solve inverse problems, with applications in material development and medical imaging. In one of her pioneering studies she looked at the change from a cubic to an orthorhombic crystal lattice during a temperature-induced phase transition and classified the geometries that occur, taking into account the interfacial energies.

• Michael Seewald, University of Münster
  Catholic Theology

  Michael Seewald bridges opposing views in Catholicism with his innovative theology on dogma change, while also advancing comparative religious studies.

• Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla, Helmholtz Munich
  Epigenetics
  
  Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla studies epigenetic processes in cell plasticity, i.e., the adaptability of cells, focusing on chromatin structure and stem cell regulation during embryonic development.

• Robert Zeiser, University Hospital Freiburg
  Haematology and Oncology
  
  Robert Zeiser advances leukemia treatment by studying immune processes in tumor diseases and developing therapies like ruxolitinib and anti-TIM3 antibodies.

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• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), Bonn, Germany