Berlin scientists honored: The 100 minds of the future!

Berlin scientists honored: The 100 minds of the future!

On October 7, 2025, the researcher Dr. Nataliia Steblyna and professors Karl Schlögel and Kerstin Schoor were included in the list of the “100 most important minds in Berlin science 2025”. The awards were published in a series of articles between September 29th and October 6th. This honor recognizes outstanding contributions to science and social progress.

Dr. Nataliia Steblyna was already honored on September 29th for her important research work. She studies mechanisms of exclusion and has had an unusual career path: once a journalist, she learned to program and now uses software to analyze millions of web content for Russian disinformation. Her expertise is particularly in demand because she is also involved in an NGO that is committed to debunking war propaganda. She was also the first visiting professor in the Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies (KIU) competence network at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder).

Scientific achievements of Karl Schlögel and Kerstin Schoor

Prof. Dr. Karl Schlögel was honored on October 2nd as an important researcher in the field of power and freedom. He is a recognized expert on Eastern Europe and has focused his research on countries outside Russia. For his valuable work he will be awarded the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 2025. His research has made a significant contribution to better understanding and contextualizing the conditions in Eastern Europe.

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Schoor received praise on October 6th for her outstanding work on “big social issues”. She is a professor of German-Jewish literature and spent over a decade building the digital archive of Jewish authors in Berlin 1933-1945. This extensive portal will be available online in 2025 and offers access to over 1,000 biographies as well as around 4,000 digitized works and historical documents by persecuted writers.

The digital archive of Jewish authors

The opening of the Digital Archive (DAjAB) took place on July 7, 2025, after a ten-year development period at the European University Viadrina. The archive provides access to the life and work stories of Jewish authors who lived and worked in Berlin between 1933 and 1945. It contains thousands of previously unknown and unexplored texts, photographs, original documents and interviews.

The project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and received support from the Friede Springer Foundation and the Alfred Landecker Foundation. The archive has special technical advantages: It contains a million-fold collection of information, biographical details, books that have not been republished, as well as newspaper and magazine articles. These resources make it an important platform for research and educational purposes.

The National Library of Israel (NLI) is also intensively committed to the preservation and care of Jewish knowledge and cultural treasures. It offers extensive digital collections that are of great importance for research and general access to Jewish culture. This also includes the preservation of essential documents and photographs that document the history of the Jewish people.

The awards mentioned and the digital archive are not only a sign of progress in science, but also an important legacy for cultural memory that needs to be preserved. The work of people like Dr. Steblyna, Prof. Schlögel and Prof. Schoor make a decisive contribution to ensuring that we can learn from history and initiate future discourses.