Research Awards

Two decades ago, Dr. Klaus Römer established a foundation to motivate early-career chemists to achieve scientific excellence and strengthen research at LMU’s departments of chemistry and biochemistry. This year, the Römer Foundation is celebrating its twentieth anniversary. Since its establishment, it has handed out almost a million euros in prize money to a total of 504 early-career researchers.

This year again, the Römer scholarships are being awarded as part of a special ceremony at LMU’s High-Tech Campus – with prominent guest speakers including Professor Patrick Cramer, current President of the Max Planck Society, who gives a speech about “The New World of Science.”

“It’s important that we encourage natural scientists specifically in the early years of their careers and show them that their accomplishments are important and visible!” says Cramer. “As such, the longstanding commitment of the Römer family to LMU is directed at exactly the right place. In Germany, this kind of foundation work absolutely cannot be taken for granted and should be valued all the more! For me, it is an honor to be present this year and to return to my former place of work.”

Patrick Cramer calls on the graduates to go out into the world and spend a portion of their careers abroad. Academic life offers outstanding opportunities in this regard, which open out on to a wider plane. After all, the language of science is international and therefore every scientist can, indeed must, also contribute to international understanding.

In his presentation, Cramer discusses the profound changes the world of science has undergone in recent decades. Ultimately, the answer to this must be multilateralism, he affirms. European science should strengthen cooperation with Asia, Latin America, and the African continent while maintaining its traditional partnerships with North America – not in spite of, but precisely in times like this when academic freedom is threatened in the United States.

This year, the Römer Foundation is awarding a total of 19 prizes worth 25,000 euros. Awards are going to seven master’s theses, eleven doctoral dissertations, and one early-career research group leader. One of the prizewinners is Renukka Yaadav from Professor Philip Tinnefeld’s research group. Her doctoral dissertation, which was awarded summa cum laude, impressed the jury with its significant advances in the field of DNA-origami-based nanoantennas for ultrasensitive biosensor systems.

“I’m truly honored to be among the awardees of the 2025 Römer Prize,” she says. “The little girl in me had no idea this would be my path, and it feels deeply fulfilling to reach this point. The PhD journey can test your patience and confidence, so I hope this recognition encourages others to stay resilient and believe in their work.”

The following people received Römer prizes of €500 for outstanding achievements in their master's theses:

• Jonas Albrecht (Kloß lab)
• Martin Robin James Dagleish (Ochsenfeld lab)
• Tobias Kuhn (Kielkoowski lab)
• Marios-Christoforos Materis (Berthold lab)
• Dina Schnapka (Stingele lab)
• Julia Stempfhuber (Schneider lab)
• Patrick Zechner (Hopfner lab)

Furthermore, the following people were awarded Römer prizes of €1,500 for their doctorates:

• Marleen Bérouti (Hornung lab)
• Fiona Cole (Tinnefeld lab)
• Jaqueline Cordes (Stingele lab)
• Viktoria Drontschenko (Ochsenfeld lab)
• Roman Guntermann (Bein lab)
• Sophie Gutenthaler-Tietze (Daumann lab)
• Georg Krach (Schnick lab)
• Julian Oppelt (Ivanović-Burmazović lab)
• Reinhard Pritzl (Schnick lab)
• Sebastian Reiter (Ochsenfeld lab)
• Renukka Yaadav (Tinnefeld lab)

Congratulations!

Impressions from the Award Ceremony

More information on the Römer Foundation and its 20th birthday