The GDCh Division of Biochemistry awards up to two prizes annually to recognize outstanding research achievements in the field of biochemistry—evidenced either by a dissertation or a publication in a scientific journal. The award includes a certificate, €2,000 in prize money, and one year of free membership in the Division. A committee appointed by the Division Board decides on the award.
Deadline: October 31, 2025
Objective
The Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) will award up to two research prizes for 2026 to recognize outstanding research achievements in the field of biochemistry – to be demonstrated either by a dissertation or a selected original publication in a scientific journal.
The price
Each award comes with a certificate, a cash prize of €2,000, and a one-year, free membership in the Division. The prizes will be presented the following year during the GDCh Biochemistry 2026 Division conference . The prize will be awarded at the 2019 conference in Würzburg. The awardee winners will be invited to present their winning work in a short presentation. The conference costs will be borne by the Division. A committee appointed by the Division Board will decide on the award.
Nomination/Application
Nominations can be made by the academic supervisor, but applications are also possible. The academic publication must be published between January 1 and July 31, 2025; the doctoral examination must be completed no more than four years prior to the date of publication. The dissertation must be completed (including defense) in 2025. All nominations should include a brief statement of the academic supervision, the nominee's CV (including contact details), and the academic work itself.
submission
Please send your proposals electronically and summarized in a PDF file to the GDCh Office for the attention of Maike Fries.
For the first time in 2024, the Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society awarded two fully funded research prizes. These were presented to Dr. Davide Tamborrini and Dr. Minh Nguyen Trung on October 1, 2024, at Biochemistry 2024 in Dortmund.
Dr. Davide Tamborrini: "Awarded in recognition of his dissertation entitled “Structural Investigation of the Relaxed Cardiac Sarcomere by Electron Cryo-Tomography,” which he completed in the working group of Prof. Dr. Stefan Raunser at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund. Dr. Tamborrini determined high-resolution structures of native thick myosin filaments in mouse heart muscle, thus answering decades-old questions. The structures revealed the three-dimensional organization of myosin, titin, and myosin-binding protein C (MyBP-C), showing that MyBP-C bridges thin and thick filaments. The arrangement of the proteins differs completely from predictions and explains important mechanistic features of muscle contraction and its regulation. The results of his valuable work are paradigmatic and open the door to a new world of muscle research, both to understand how muscles function and to find treatments for diseases.
Dr. Minh Nguyen Trung: "Awarded in recognition of his dissertation working group "Elucidation of Inositol Polyphosphate Dephosphorylation Pathways Using Stable-Isotope Labeling and NMR Spectroscopy," completed in the research group of Prof. Dr. Dorothea Fiedler at the Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology in Berlin . Minh Nguyen Trung developed an innovative analytical method that combines targeted 13 C isotope labeling with NMR spectroscopy to decipher inositol phosphate metabolism both biochemically and in complex biological samples. His method closes a technical gap and opens up perspectives for future research in many fields, including the study of inositol phosphate-dependent hereditary diseases and the metabolism of the human microbiome. "
The Young Scientist Award of the Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society was split and presented to Dr. Jan Felber and Dr. Wout Oosterheert on September 5, 2023, at the GDCh Science Forum on Chemistry in Leipzig.
"The prize is awarded to Dr. Jan Felber in recognition of his dissertation entitled "Rational development of stabilized cyclic disulfide redox probes and bioreductive prodrugs to target dithiol oxidoreductases," which he completed in the working group of Dr. Oliver Thorn-Seshold at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. Through the systematic development of complex disulfide structures and their use for the cellular activation of novel molecular probes by specific oxidoreductases, Jan Felber has made significant contributions to a better understanding of enzyme cascades in redox biochemistry. Due to the modularity of the molecular system, his work also promises considerable potential for the use of such disulfide units for the targeted activation of drugs."
"The prize is awarded to Dr. Wout Oosterheert in recognition of his publication entitled "Structural basis of actin filament assembly and aging," which he completed in the working group of Prof. Dr. Stefan Raunser at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund and published in the journal Nature.
In this work, Wout Oosterheert determined high-resolution cryo-EM structures of F-actin in all nucleotide states, making it possible for the first time to visualize hundreds of water molecules in the filament. His resulting elucidation of the ATP hydrolysis mechanism of F-actin represents a milestone in more than a century of physiological and biochemical muscle and cytoskeleton research. His work also provides a valuable basis for the development of actin-binding molecules that can be tailored for imaging and therapeutic applications .
The Young Scientist Award of the Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society was split and presented on 30 June 2022 to Dr. Goran Kokic and Dr. Sabrina Pospich at the Division conference “Biochemistry 2022” in Münster.
"The prize is awarded to Dr. Goran Kokic in recognition of his publication entitled "Structural basis of human transcription – DNA repair coupling" (Nature 2021, 598, 368), which he completed in the working group of Prof. Dr. Patrick Cramer at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen and published in the journal Nature. This work is particularly notable for providing, for the first time, detailed structural insights into the molecular coupling of gene transcription with DNA repair in eukaryotic cells. In particular, biochemical and cryo-electronic studies of large transient multiprotein-nucleic acid complexes were combined to create a multi-stage molecular model for transcription-repair coupling. This work is also relevant for related research fields. For example, initial insights into the structural basis of ubiquitination of a large multiprotein complex substrate were obtained, laying the foundation for further investigation of the regulation of transcription-repair coupling."
"The prize is awarded to Dr. Sabrina Pospich in recognition of her dissertation entitled "Deciphering the structural effect of nucleotide hydrolysis and small molecule binding on actin and myosin," which she completed in the working group of Prof. Dr. Stefan Raunser at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund. In her doctoral thesis, Dr. Pospich used cryo-electron microscopy to investigate the proteins actin and myosin, two fundamental components of the cytoskeleton and muscle. She skillfully determined numerous high-resolution three-dimensional structures of actin filaments with various ligands or myosin, thus gaining significant insights into biologically and medically relevant issues. Her work contributes significantly to the molecular understanding of cardiomyopathies and other muscle diseases."
The 2020 Young Scientist Award of the Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society was shared and presented to Dr. Mohammad Ghaem Maghami and Dr. Linlin Zhang as part of the GDCh Science Forum Chemistry 2021 awarded.
The prize is awarded to Dr. Mohammad Ghaem Maghami Awarded in recognition of his dissertation on the topic: "Development, characterization, and application of RNA catalysts for in situ labeling of target RNA molecules." In his work, Mr. Ghaem Maghami developed new ribozymes for the site-specific labeling and modification of RNA through in vitro selection. He thus provides powerful tools for the bioorthogonal derivatization of RNA, which will be used in chemical and biological studies of functional RNAs. His dissertation was written in the working group of Prof. Dr. Claudia Höbartner at the Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg.
The award is given to Dr. Linlin Zhang in recognition of her publication entitled "Crystal structure of SARS-CoV-2 main protease provides a basis for design of improved α-ketoamide inhibitors." With this work, Dr. Zhang laid the foundation for the structure-based design of anti-coronavirus drugs, the first of which are already in clinical trials. The publication was prepared in the working group of Prof. Dr. Rolf Hilgenfeld at the University of Lübeck.
The 2020 Young Scientist Award of the Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society was shared and presented to Maximilian Fottner and Dr. Marc-André Kasper at the “Advances in Chemical Biology” Conference on January 27, 2021 in Frankfurt.
The prize is awarded to Maximilian Fottner in recognition of his publication entitled "Site-specific ubiquitylation and SUMOylation using genetic-code expansion and sortase." In his doctoral thesis, Maximilian Fottner focused on innovative and interdisciplinary strategies for site-specific protein modification. In his award-winning work, Fottner developed a groundbreaking and promising method for selectively and specifically labeling proteins—both in vitro and in living mammalian cells—with the small marker protein ubiquitin. In doing so, he succeeded in developing an extremely powerful tool for analyzing the biological functions and consequences of these extremely important post-translational modifications.
The prize is awarded to Dr. Marc-André Kasper in recognition of his dissertation on "Chemoselective synthesis of functional drug conjugates." In his work, Dr. Kasper developed a new cysteine-selective reaction for antibody modification, known as P5 labeling. Using this method, he produced a new antibody-drug conjugate with superior efficacy and stability properties compared to an already approved drug.
The 2019 Young Scientist Award of the Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society was shared and presented to Dr. Karolin Wellner, Dr. Andreas Blees and Dr. Dennis Quentin at the GDCh Science Forum 2019 in Aachen on September 16, 2019.
In her doctoral thesis , "On the functional analysis of the 3' end of tRNAs and the importance of ribonucleases for quality control," Dr. Wellner investigated the interplay of opposing enzyme activities involved in the processing and degradation of tRNAs. The opposing activities of CCA-adding enzyme and RNase T had previously been described as a useless cycle. Dr. Wellner was able to demonstrate in very elegant experiments that these activities provide an important interplay in tRNA quality control. She is an excellent experimentalist and interprets her data with extreme caution and without any overselling—an important quality for a serious scientist.
The prize is awarded to Dr. Quentin in recognition of his dissertation entitled "Structural studies on the type VI secretion system and human CLN3p." Both his work on the human CLN3 protein and the newly gained insights into the bacterial type 6 secretion system, which Dr. Quentin gained using cryo-electron microscopy, are making a significant contribution to the molecular understanding of childhood dementia (NCL) and bacterial infections. His dissertation was written in the working group of Prof. Dr. Stefan Raunser at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology in Dortmund.
Dr. Andreas Blees in recognition of his publication on the topic: "Structure of the human MHC-I peptide-loading complex." The adaptive immune system is responsible for recognizing malignant or infected cells. Dysfunction can lead to chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Using innovative strategies, Dr. Blees succeeded in preparing the antigen transport and loading complex responsible for immune recognition and thus elucidating its structure. These groundbreaking findings will find their way into textbooks, as they significantly enrich our understanding of cellular immune defense.
The 2018 Young Scientist Award of the Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society was presented to Dr. Doreen Könning and Dr. Schara Safarian at the international Conference “8th Peptide Engineering Meeting” (PEM 8) in Berlin on November 9, 2018.
In her doctoral thesis , "Engineered shark antibody domains for biotechnological and biomedical applications," Dr. Könning conducted groundbreaking research at the interface of biochemistry, pharmaceutical research, and immunobiology. She developed methods for generating tailor-made antibodies that open up new possibilities in drug development, medical diagnostics, and cancer therapy. Her research approach significantly simplifies the isolation of binding molecules for diagnostic applications and also lays the foundation for new therapeutic approaches in personalized immunotherapy.
In his doctoral thesis , "Structure of a bd oxidase indicates similar mechanisms for membrane-integrated oxygen reductases," Dr. Safarian conducted groundbreaking research at the interface between biochemistry and structural biology. His work on the crystallization and structure elucidation of a microbial cytochrome bd oxidase provided new insights into its structure and function. This protein complex is of fundamental importance in bioenergetics and plays a key role in the pathogenicity of bacterial pathogens. With his work, Dr. Safarian created an essential knowledge base for the structure-based development of drugs for the treatment of bacterial infections.
The 2017 Young Scientist Award of the Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society was presented to Dr. Josephin Marie Holstein and Dr. Jian Lei at the GDCh Science Forum on 13 September 2017 in Berlin.
In her doctoral thesis , "The 5' cap of eukaryotic mRNAs as a starting point for chemo-enzymatic labeling," Dr. Holstein conducted groundbreaking research at the interface of chemistry and biology. Her novel approach enables highly selective and sequence-independent labeling of messenger RNA (mRNA) in vitro and in cells, as well as the targeted manipulation of mRNA function. In this work, Dr. Holstein discovered a methyltransferase (Ecm1) with pronounced substrate promiscuity and developed novel S-adenosyl-L-methionine analogues, making mRNA accessible for postsynthetic modification and intracellular bioorthogonal reactions.
With his publication on the topic "Crystal structure of Zika virus NS2B-NS3 protease in complex with a boronate inhibitor," Jian Lei conducted groundbreaking research at the interface of biochemistry, structural biology, and pharmaceutical chemistry. His work on the structural elucidation of viral proteases provides new insights into their structure and function. In particular, his research on the structural elucidation of the NS2B/NS3 protease from the Zika virus provides detailed insight into the processing of the viral polyprotein and creates a crucial knowledge base for the structure-based development of drugs for the treatment of viral infections.
The 2016 Young Scientist Award of the Division of Biochemistry of the German Chemical Society was presented to Dr. Marie-Luise Winz in recognition of her doctoral thesis on "Biological, chemical and computational investigations on RNA function and modification" at the Conference "Shaping the Molecules of Life" on July 7, 2016.
Marie-Luise Winz has conducted groundbreaking research at the interface of biology, chemistry, and computer science . Her work on the isolation and sequence analysis of chemically modified ribonucleic acids from biological Literature led to the discovery of coenzyme-capped regulatory RNAs in bacteria. Furthermore, Ms. Winz gained fundamental insights into the course of in vitro evolution experiments and developed new methods for labeling nucleic acids.
| Year | name | Institute | Excellent work |
| 2024 | Dr. Davide Tamborrini | Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund | dissertation |
| Dr. Minh Nguyen Trung | Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, Berlin | dissertation | |
| 2023 | Dr. Wout Oosterheert | Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, Dortmund | publication |
| Dr. Jan Felber | Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich | dissertation | |
| 2022 | Dr. Goran Kokic | Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen | publication |
| Dr. Sabrina Pospich | Max Planck Institute for Molecular Physiology, Dortmund | dissertation | |
| 2021 | Dr. Linlin Zhang | University of Lübeck | publication |
| Dr. Mohammad Ghaem Maghami | Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg | dissertation | |
| 2020 | Maximilian Fottner | Technical University of Munich | publication |
| Dr. Marc-André Kasper | Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology, Berlin | dissertation | |
| 2019 | Dr. Andreas Blees | University of Frankfurt | publication |
| Dr. Dennis Quentin | MPI for Molecular Physiology, Dortmund | dissertation | |
| Dr. Karolin Wellner | University of Leipzig | dissertation | |
| 2018 | Dr. Doreen Könning | TU Darmstadt | dissertation |
| Dr. Schara Safarian | MPI Frankfurt | dissertation | |
| 2017 | Dr. Josephin Holstein | University of Münster | dissertation |
| Dr. Jian Lei | University of Lübeck | publication | |
| 2016 | Dr. Marie-Luise Winz | University of Heidelberg | dissertation |
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last modified: 07.08.2025 15:59 H from N/A
