University of Münster: New professors and awards at a glance

University of Münster: New professors and awards at a glance

The University of Münster has announced significant developments and honors in the academic sector in recent weeks. As of August 6, 2025, several new professors were appointed and impressive awards were presented. These innovations are part of the university's ongoing efforts to promote excellent teaching and research.

How uni-muenster.de reported, Prof. Dr. Julia Reckermann appointed professor for “Didactics of the English Language” at the English Department. Also Dr. Jan Ole Kriegs, the director of the LWL Museum of Natural History, received an honorary professorship from the Department of Geosciences due to his outstanding scientific achievements.

Awards and honors

Other awards include the “BCJ.Bayern Study Prize” 2025, which Dr. Jan Raithel received from the Evangelical Theological Faculty for his dissertation on the Talion Formula. In addition, the Institute of Geology and Paleontology awarded four prizes from the “Hildegard and Karl-Heinrich Heitfeld Foundation” this year. Dr. Paul Pangritz and Dr. Nina Wichern can look forward to receiving 3,000 euros each for her dissertations, while Hannah Morck and Linus Schlottbohm each received 1,000 euros for their master's theses.

Another highlight is the awarding of the “Karl Zuhorn Prize” to Julius Virnyi from the Institute for Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology. In addition, together with the “Nordstadtblogger” group from Dortmund, he was awarded the science prize for Westphalian state research worth 10,000 euros each from the Westphalia-Lippe Regional Association.

Particularly worth mentioning is the appointment of Prof. Dr. Martin Winter, the founder and scientific director of the MEET battery research center, as a member of the European Academy of Sciences. This honor reflects the national and international recognition that research at the University of Münster enjoys.

New professorships and research grants

The University of Münster has also appointed five new professorships, including Professor Dr. Ulrike Freywald for German Linguistics and Professor Dr. Diana Khoromskaia-Fritzsche as junior professor of theoretical physics. Professor Dr. Julia Kurth takes over the management of microbiology, and Professor Dr. Jana-Elisa Rüth will focus on emotional and social development in schools. Professor Dr. Fahimah Ulfat now works in Islamic religious education at the Center for Islamic Theology.

In a further step, Dr. Toprak Aslan received an Alexander von Humboldt research fellowship and will work at the Institute of Landscape Ecology. These grants not only offer scientists funding opportunities, but also the chance to further develop their projects and promote international collaborations.

The university mourns several deceased members, including Prof. Dr. Dietrich Adam and Prof. Dr. Gertrud Dücker, both of whom played an important role in the academic community. Also Prof. Dr. Rudolf Aumann and many others will be remembered.

Overall, with these appointments, awards and expressions of mourning, the University of Münster not only shows its diversity in teaching, but also its commitment to innovative research approaches. How das-wissen.de supplemented, these developments reflect the dynamism and high standards of academic life at the university. A look into the coming months suggests that the academic community continues to strive to grow through collaboration and excellence.

In summary, it can be said that developments at the University of Münster promote both the quality of teaching and research. The large number of new appointments and awards is a sign of the university's vitality and commitment to the academic landscape. The future challenges and opportunities are expected to continue to shape and enrich the institution as it focuses on innovative and interdisciplinary research projects, as well uni-heute.de notes.