The 2024 FAU Awards

Before the Dies academicus, the University honors high achievers, academic achievements and services in teaching at FAU every year with the FAU Awards.

Further information: www.dies.fau.de

The FAU Awards

The prize winners of the 2024 FAU Awards were honored in a special ceremony on October 22, 2024. An overview of the individual awards:

Honorary Senator

This year the title of Honorary Senator, the University’s highest honor, was awarded to Roland Auschel and Wilhelm Rudolf Wessels.

During his career at adidas between 1989 and 2023, Roland Auschel held several top management positions and was appointed member of the Executive Board in 2013. Auschel was a member of the FAU University Council from 2015 to 2023 and strengthened the relationship between the international company adidas and FAU. His dedication to promoting collaboration between science and business is particularly noteworthy.

Wilhelm Rudolf Wessels is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Staedtler Foundation. The Foundation’s long-standing and generous support enables FAU to perform top-level research, provide support to talented students and researchers and thus strengthen the innovative strength, competitiveness and excellence of the University. The Foundation provides funding towards the “Deutschlandstipendium” scholarship, doctoral thesis awards and the framework project “Innovation and Knowledge Creation” for promoting research, among others.

FAU Ambassador

Prof. Dr. Anuscheh Farahat, Professor of Public Law in its European Context at the University of Vienna, was appointed FAU Ambassador. With the support of this inspiring researcher, FAU would like to increase the visibility of its research into human rights. Prof. Farahat will represent FAU at a national and international level at events, conferences and presentations as well as in efforts to attract international researchers and students.

Renate Wittern Sterzel Prize

The Renate Wittern Sterzel Prize is awarded by the University in recognition of ideas and projects for promoting equality of opportunity for both women and men and for promoting diversity at the University. This year, it was awarded to the “ESFZ Student Research Camps for all kids in Durban” project and the student initiative “todei – Transforming organizations in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”.

The “ESFZ Student Research Camps for all Kids of Durban” project

The aim of the “ESFZ Student Research Camps for all Kids of Durban” project is to establish the concept of the Erlanger SchülerForschungsZentrums (Erlangen research center for high school students (ESFZ)) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in Durban, South Africa. School students who are interested in science and technology receive additional support at the ESFZ. FAU aims to make a contribution to equal opportunities in education all over the globe.

The “todei – Transforming organizations in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” initiative

The aim of the “todei – Transforming organizations in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” student initiative is to create sustainable structures and support systems for people with disabilities. The students would like to use the prize money to set up a group called “Inklucha” for inclusion and equal opportunities in the FAU Students’ Representatives.

Prizes from the Hans-Wilhelm and Helga Schüßler Foundation and the DAAD

International students at FAU who have made a lasting impression whilst studying in Germany thanks to their outstanding academic achievements and commitment to social or intercultural projects are awarded the Hans-Wilhelm and Helga Schüßler prize and the prize from the German Academic Exchange Service (the DAAD prize). The prize from the Hans-Wilhelm and Helga Schüßler Foundation was awarded to Aisha Munir. Hodabalo Kondo-Feou was awarded the DAAD prize.

The prize from the Hans-Wilhelm and Helga Schüßler Foundation was awarded to the Pakistani student Aisha Munir. She has been studying for a Master’s degree in International Business Studies (MIBS) at FAU since 2021. She is committed to the promotion of diversity at FAU, for example by making international students more visible on social media at the Chair of International Management.

Hodabalo Kondo-Feou was awarded the DAAD prize. Kondo-Feou, who is an orphan from Togo, has been supported by a foster family near Erlangen. His outstanding academic achievements at school enabled him to start studying physics at FAU with the support of his foster family. In addition to his studies, he is a youth soccer coach at the soccer and sports club in Erlangen-Bruck as well as part of the buddy program that helps international students settle into life in Germany.

FAU Distinguished Service Medal

This year, FAU has awarded four distinguished service medals in recognition of extraordinary services rendered to the University: to Dr. Christiane Decker, Ursula Ertl, Prof. Dr. Sabina Jeschke and Christof Präg.

Thanks to her many years of experience of serving on management boards in the financial sector, Dr. Christiane Decker contributes to various strategic developments at FAU. She is a member of the Advisory Board at FAU and the CxO Council and has been responsible for setting up and developing the FAU Academy on behalf of the University on a voluntary basis as a project for consolidating, increasing the visibility and strengthening further education and lifelong learning at FAU.

Ursula Ertl’s dedication has made the Schlossgartenfest into the fantastic event that it is today. She has not only taken on responsibility for organizing the event, but has also introduced and implemented some very innovative ideas and attracted renowned artists and well-known figures to participate. Thanks to her dedication, the Schlossgartenfest has become established as one of the largest and most beautiful garden parties in Europe.

Prof. Dr. Sabina Jeschke is a researcher, manager and entrepreneur. She takes an active role in several areas at FAU. The CxO Council at FAU was founded on her initiative. The fact that FAU is one of the twelve founding members of the AI Park and has successfully established the first satellite of the AI Park in Erlangen is also among her achievements. Her focus is on actively promoting the transfer of research results into practical applications.

Christof Präg is an engineer and architect. From 1992 to 2008 he was the representative of the director of the former university building authority in Erlangen. He was responsible for Uniklinikum Erlangen, the Faculty of Medicine and University Administration. He organized architecture and art and design competitions, completed several new construction projects and managed and documented various “Kunst am Bau” projects supported by the Free State of Bavaria.

Habilitation prizes

This year, the habilitation prizes donated by the University Association were awarded to the following researchers for their postdoctoral theses:

Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology

PD Dr. Agnes Bidmon

PD Dr. Antje Daniel

Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law

Prof. Dr. Kamila Cygan-Rehm

Faculty of Medicine – Carl Thiersch Prize

PD Dr. Markus Eckstein

Faculty of Sciences – Emmy Noether Prize

PD Dr. Manuel Keith

Faculty of Engineering

Prof. Dr. Benjamin Schleich

Teaching prize for outstanding teaching at FAU

The University teaching prize is awarded every year in recognition of excellent achievements in teaching.

Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology

Emel Löffelholz

Faculty of Business, Economics, and Law

Dr. Hyun Jung Lee

Faculty of Medicine

PD Dr. Cornelia Erfurt-Berge

Faculty of Sciences

Theresa Maria Schichtl

Faculty of Engineering

Angelika Thalmayer

Sustainability award

The award goes to individuals and teams who take innovative approaches to promote a more sustainable future.

President’s Welcome Award

The FAU President’s Welcome Award is a scholarship program dedicated to supporting international early career researchers. This year, the awards went to students and doctoral candidates in the field of research into human rights.

• Alejandro Gómez López
• Mia Turbic
• Sharmin Shamim Anchool
• Daniela Vallejo
• Eklavya Vasudev
• Shuvra Dey

Detailed information on the event and award winners:  www.dies.fau.de