Young Scientist Award
Young Scientist Award (YSA) of the ZWU
Since 2009, the Center for Water and Environmental Research (ZWU) has annually announced the Young Scientist Award (YSA) at the beginning of the winter semester for outstanding theses by students and young scientists that are closely related to the research topics of the ZWU.
Call for Applications 2026 closedYoung Scientist Award 2026
The application phase for the 2026 Young Scientist Award (YSA) recognizing outstanding theses by students and early-career researchers is now closed. The next call for the 2027 Young Scientist Award will open in the winter semester 2027/2028.
June 2026Award winners of the year 2026
We are delighted to announce this year's winners of the Young Scientist Award 2026.
The 6 award winners were officially honoured at the UDE summer party on 25 June 2026.
The selection committee around
Dr. Wiebke Warner
(Hydrogeochemistry, RUB)
Prof. Dr. Christoph Donner
(Chairman of the Board, Ruhrverband)
Dr. Thomas-Benjamin Seiler
(Managing Director, Hygiene Institute of the Ruhr Area)
Prof. Dr. Burkhard Teichgräber
(Head of the Fundamentals and Development Division, EG/LV)
Dr. Jeanette Völker
(Head of Inland Waters Section, German Environment Agency)
and the ZWU Executive Board presented three awards for outstanding Master's theses and three prizes for outstanding dissertations.
Congratulations!!!
Master theses
1st place Lea Griesdorn
Degree programme Water Science
AG Environmental Metagenomics, UDE
Title of the thesis:
"A new perspective on Ca. Altiarchaeum hamiconexum cells using cryoelectron tomography and CRISPR-system-targeting FISH"
2nd place Saeedeh Lordan
Degree programme Ecotoxicology
IWW
Title of the thesis:
"Investigating Ferrous Slags in an In-vitro Study: Chemical Profile and Toxicity"
3rd place Mimoza Dani
Degree programme Aquatic Biology
AG Phykologie, UDE
Title of the thesis:
"Species delimitation within Achnanthidium minutissimum complex, based on morphological, molecular and ecophysiological approaches"
Promotions
1st place Dr. Franziska Wenskus
AG Aquatic Ecology, UDE
Title of the thesis:
"Floodplains in human-dominated landscapes: connectivity, biodiversity and restoration pathways in Europe"
1st place Dr. Iris Madge Pimentel
AG Aquatic Ecosystemscience, UDE
Title of the work:
"Navigating complexity: Exploring the untapped potential of mesocosm experiments for multiple-stressor research"
2nd place Dr. Reyhaneh Armin
AG Instrumental Analytical Chemistry , UDE
Title of the work:
"Method Development and Data Processing Strategies for the Non-Target Screening of Industrial Wastewater"