Bielefeld discovers new bioactions: Researchers on the cutting edge of natural product chemistry!

Bielefeld discovers new bioactions: Researchers on the cutting edge of natural product chemistry!

On June 27, 2025, important people and events will be in focus at Bielefeld University. Among them is Florian Schneider, an excellent young scientist. Schneider was selected from 84 countries to attend the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. This high-profile event takes place from June 29th to July 4th and is attended by more than 30 Nobel Prize winners. Florian Schneider completed his master's degree in chemistry at Bielefeld University and is doing his doctorate in the Physical Chemistry I working group.

Another important award goes to Sebastian Plesdonat, who was honored with the Brigitte Knobbe-Keuk Foundation's dissertation prize for his dissertation on tax law. The prize, which is endowed with 5,000 euros, is awarded every two years. The award ceremony took place on May 25th in Wiesbaden. Plesdonat completed a dual degree in finance and studied law at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. As a research assistant at the Bielefeld Chair of Public Law and Tax Law, he is currently working as a trainee at the Frankfurt Regional Court.

Honors for scientists and creative minds

In addition, Tina Heitmann, 48 years old, was awarded the Cornelius F.-Wieringa Prize from the Supervision Foundation for her podcast “Overview-Supervision”. The prize, which is endowed with 3,000 euros, will be awarded on September 27th in Berlin. In her podcast, Heitmann covers central topics of supervision, coaching and organizational consulting.

In the field of natural products chemistry, Billy Toussie Tchegnitegni, PhD, is also notable. The 38-year-old is a Georg Forster scholarship holder of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation at Bielefeld University and conducts research in the Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry working group. His goal is to discover bioactive compounds from endophytic fungi. Tchegnitegni studied chemistry/organic chemistry at the University of Dschang in Cameroon and received his doctorate.

The legacy of Brigitte Knobbe-Keuk

The focus is also on the Brigitte Knobbe-Keuk Foundation, which was founded in 2011 to support young legal scholars. Brigitte Knobbe-Keuk, who was born on September 18, 1940 in Berlin and died on April 23, 1995 in Bonn, was an outstanding legal scholar. She has existed both as a researcher and as a university lecturer in her field and is considered one of the most prominent figures in national tax law. She began her academic career with a doctorate in Bonn and a subsequent habilitation, followed by various teaching positions, including a professorship at the University of Bonn.

Since 2013, the foundation has been awarding the Brigitte Knobbe-Keuk Prize in collaboration with the Working Group of Specialist Lawyers for Tax Law, which honors outstanding legal work. The first prize winner was Benjamin Straßburger. Their legacy lives on not only in the numerous students and scholarship holders, but also in the foundation's support of young talent.