Since 2000, the GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology has been awarding a prize for an outstanding scientific publication by young scientists in the field of environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology. The prize was named in 2011 after Paul J. Crutzen, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for his work researching the ozone hole. The award is usually given annually and is associated with an award certificate, prize money of 1,000 euros and one-year, free membership in the Division. The Bayer company has been donating the prize money since 2023.
Deadline: April 30, 2025
objective
The Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) awards the Paul-Crutzen Award once a year to honor an outstanding original publication by a young scientist in the field of environmental chemistry/ecotoxicology in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The price
The award comes with a certificate, prize money of 1,000 euros donated by Bayer, and one year's free membership in the Division. The prize will be awarded during the Division conference " Environment 2025 ", which will take place from September 22 to 24, 2025 in Dessau-Roßlau. Following the award ceremony, the award-winning publication will be presented in a short lecture. The costs of attending the conference will be borne by the Division. The award will be decided by a committee appointed by the Board of the Division .
nomination/application
Nominations can be made by the academic supervisor, but applications are also possible. The person proposed or applying must be the first or main author of the publication and should ideally have a doctorate. The publication must have been published between 2023 and 2025 and no later than two years after the completion of the doctorate. The informal proposal with a brief justification must be accompanied by a CV (including contact details), a list of publications, the publication itself and - in the case of an application - a letter of support from the academic supervisor.
submission
Please send all documents summarized in a PDF file by e-mail to the GDCh Office for the attention of Maike Fries.
The Paul-Crutzen Award - donated by Bayer AG - was split in 2024 and awarded to Alexandra Loll and Dr. Anja FRM Ramsperger on the occasion of the Divisions annual conference "Environment 2024" on September 9, 2024.
Alexandra Loll: In recognition of the publication entitled "Short-Term Test for Toxicogenomic Analysis of Ecotoxic Modes of Action in Lemna minor" (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 56, 11504-11515) prepared as part of her master's thesis at the Fraunhofer IME in Schmallenberg. In standard ecotoxicological tests for the regulatory environmental risk assessment of substances prior to their market approval, the aquatic plant Lemna minor is most commonly used as a model organism. Although the tests record toxic effects in the plant, they do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the exact toxic mechanism of action. As part of her master's thesis, Ms. Loll developed a method for the rapid assessment and differentiation of modes of action in L. minor by combining a shortened growth inhibition test with transcriptomics and proteomics. Since L. minor has hardly been studied genomically to date, the bioinformatic evaluation of the complex transcriptome and proteome data represents a special achievement. The work is being honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it represents a significant contribution to facilitating the environmental hazard assessment of substances and, in the long term, may make higher-level tests that are expensive and require intensive animal testing superfluous.
Dr. Anja FRM Ramsperger: Awarded in recognition of the publication she prepared as part of her dissertation at the University of Bayreuth entitled "Nominally identical microplastic models differ greatly in their particle-cell interactions" (Nature Communications 2024, 15, article number: 922). The environmental impact of microplastics is also in the public spotlight. In addition to entry pathways and accumulations in environmental compartments, possible negative effects on organisms and ultimately on human health are increasingly coming into focus. An important factor in risk assessment is the interaction with and thus the subsequent uptake of microplastics into cells. This is where Ms. Ramsperger's innovative work comes in, in which the surface properties in connection with microplastic-cell interaction were investigated. She showed for the first time that nominally identical particles from different commercial Literature differ considerably in their surface properties, which explains the different results in corresponding impact studies on microplastics. This work is honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because Ms. Ramsperger has made significant advances in microplastics research, particularly with regard to environmental impact, in a highly interdisciplinary study.
The Paul-Crutzen Award - donated by Bayer AG - was split in 2023 and awarded to Dr. Carolin Seller-Brison and Dr. Florian Ungeheuer on the occasion of the Divisions annual conference "Environment 2023".
Dr. Carolin Seller-Brison: "Awarded in recognition of the publication entitled “Do biotransformation data from laboratory experiments reflect micropollutant degradation in a large river basin?” which she prepared as part of her dissertation at the University of Zurich and Eawag. (Water Research 2023, 235, 119908). The use of simulation studies according to OECD guidelines is a widely used procedure in the risk assessment and approval of chemicals. In the aforementioned work, Carolin Seller describes the extent to which the test results measured in the laboratory accurately reflect the actual behavior in the environment. To do this, she combined monitoring data from the Rhine catchment area with both inverse modeling and laboratory-based degradation and distribution studies for more than 25 water-relevant pollutants. This work is honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it not only allows highly relevant conclusions regarding the comparability of laboratory studies with behavior in the real environment, but also provides an enormous amount of high-quality data - both on the degradation of pollutants in laboratory tests and in the Rhine catchment area, as well as on the use of a wide variety of experimental, analytical and model-based techniques."
Dr. Florian Ungeheuer: "Awarded in recognition of the publication he prepared as part of his dissertation at Goethe University Frankfurt entitled: "Nucleation of jet engine oil vapours is a large source of aviation-related ultrafine particles” (Communications Earth & Environment 2022, 3, 319). Airports are a major source of particles in the air and can therefore affect air quality and human health. In the aforementioned work, Florian Ungeheuer shows that lubricating oils from aircraft engines make up a significant proportion of such particles and are detectable down to a size of 10-18 nanometers. In addition, he demonstrates through mechanistic investigations that these lubricating oils can make a decisive contribution to the formation of such ultrafine particles. This work is being honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it impressively demonstrates how, through a well-considered combination of laboratory and field experiments as well as physical and chemical analysis methods, the occurrence of synthetic lubricating oils in ultrafine aerosol particles could be unequivocally attributed to emissions from aircraft engines. In addition, the quantification of the substances and the mechanistic investigations allow conclusions to be drawn for future mitigation measures."
The Paul-Crutzen Award was split in 2022 and awarded to Dr. Steffen Breinlinger and Dr. Jennifer Susanne Strehse on the occasion of the Divisions annual conference "Environment 2022".
Dr. Dipl.-Pharm. Steffen Breinlinger: " Awarded in recognition of the publication entitled “Hunting the eagle killer: A cyanobacterial neurotoxin causes vacuolar myelinopathy” (Science 2021, 371, 1335-1343 ). With this work, Dr. Breinlinger succeeded in identifying a new cyanobacterial toxin known as "eagle killer poison" - the name of the toxin, aetokthonotoxin - which is produced by a cyanobacterium growing on the invasive aquatic plant Hydrilla verticillata. Dr. Breinlinger was able to show that toxin production depends on the availability of bromide, which is accumulated by the host plant. This work is honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because Dr. Breinlinger achieved the identification of the toxin in an impressive way by combining a variety of methods and techniques such as HPLC-HRMS, preparative separation techniques, structure elucidation, imaging mass spectrometry, cultivation experiments with cyanobacteria and the development and use of a C. elegans assay. In doing so, he contributed to solving a decades-old puzzle and to a better understanding of complex ecotoxicological problems."
Dr. Jennifer Susanne Strehse: "Awarded in recognition of the publication she produced as part of her work at the Christian-Albrechts University in Kiel entitled “The explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) induces gene expression of carbonyl reductase in the blue mussel (Mytilus spp.) – A new promising biomarker for sea-dumped World War relicts?” ( Archives of Toxicology 2020, 94, 4043-4054). The release of chemicals from old ammunition in the North and Baltic Seas is causing growing concern among experts. Trinitrotoluene, better known by its abbreviation TNT, is receiving particular attention. Suitable detection methods are needed for the risk management of compounds typical of explosives. In her excellent work, Dr. Strehse developed a specific molecular biomarker in mussels that can be used to detect exposure of filter feeders to TNT. This work is being honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because Dr. Strehse impressively combined interdisciplinary findings from the fields of environmental monitoring, ecotoxicology, analytics, genetics and bioinformatics and combined the results of intensive laboratory work and field experiments. The result is a relevant building block for the observation and Management of ammunition in the sea, which helps to reduce the risk of damage to the environment or human health. - a problem that will continue to concern us worldwide for a long time to come."
The prize was awarded to Dr. Alexander Maximilian Voigt on the occasion of the Divisions annual conference "Environment 2021" in recognition of his publication in the working group of Dr. Harald Färber at the University Hospital Bonn with the title: "Association between antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in anthropogenic wastewater - An evaluation of clinical influences"
Chemosphere 2020, 241, 125032
In the paper, Dr. Voigt and his co-authors describe the connection between the Literature of antibiotic residues and the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. To do this, antibiotic-resistant bacteria were cultivated in the laboratory, identified, characterized and analyzed for antibiotic-resistant genes. In municipal wastewater samples, he was able to demonstrate a connection between the concentration of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the spatial proximity to clinical wastewater contaminated with antibiotics. To prevent a further increase in the formation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wastewater, he proposes direct, decentralized wastewater treatment of clinical wastewater.
The publication is honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it combines chemical, biological and statistical analyses and presents a solution to minimize the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The award was presented to Dr. Sigrid Richter-Brockmann for the publication " Analysis and toxicity of 59 PAH in petrogenic and pyrogenic environmental samples including dibenzopyrenes, 7Hbenzo [c] fluorene, 5-methylchrysene and 1-methylpyrene " ( Chemosphere 2018, 200, 495-503).
In her thesis, Sigrid Richter-Brockmann describes the results of the analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in various matrices. Not only the 16 EPA PAHs usually measured are considered, but also other toxicologically relevant substances of this substance class. The measurement data obtained with the help of this analytical approach contribute significantly to a better understanding of the variance in the composition of different PAHs in samples of different origins and thus the risk potential of the samples for human health and the environment. These estimates indicate that the routine analysis of the 16 EPA PAHs is not sufficient, but that further PAHs, despite the lower concentration, mostly contribute to the hazard potential.
The work was honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it uniquely combines the analysis of PAHs in various matrices with the hazard potential, makes an important contribution to the future approach to contamination by PAHs and contributes to the development of suitable risk management measures.
The award was presented at the Conference environment in 2018 in Münster Dr. Anika Pohlabeln for the work ? Experimental Evidence for Abiotic Sulfurization of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter ? ( Front. Mar. Sci 2017, 4, 364).
In this work, Dr. Anika Pohlabeln, together with her co-authors, results from laboratory experiments on the mechanism, the products and the extent of the abiotic formation of sulfur-containing organic material under reducing conditions such as those found on the seabed. Through laboratory experiments, combined with the analysis of the products using ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS), Ms. Pohlabeln succeeded in demonstrating the abiotic formation of a large number of organosulfur molecules in sediments under reducing conditions and the high similarity of the products to those found in natural surroundings occupy. Initial estimates suggest that the abiotic formation of organosulfur compounds could be a quantitatively relevant process for the sulfur cycle.
The work is honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it focuses on a process of the formation of organically bound sulfur in the sea that has so far been neglected and provides an incentive for further investigations of this possibly important source of such material in the global sulfur cycle.
The award was given to Dr. Martin Brüggemann on the occasion of the Young Environmental Scientists Forum from 19.-21. Awarded June 2017 in Münster in recognition of his publication " Real-time detection of highly oxidized organosulfates and BSOA marker compounds during the F-BEACh 2014 field study " ( Atmos. Chem. Phys. 2017, 17, 1453?1469)
In this work, Dr. Martin Brüggemann developed a unique combination of complementary mass spectrometric methods, both online and offline, for the chemical characterization of organic aerosol components. Dr. Brüggemann significantly involved. The measurement data obtained with the help of these complementary analytical approaches contribute significantly to a better understanding of the chemical processes that lead to the formation of the so-called secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere.
The work is honored with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it shows in an impressive way how complex environmental chemical processes with high temporal dynamics can be made transparent through a well-considered combination of different analysis methods.
The price was at the Conference "A lot of materials - How much risk are relevant (trace) substances for humans and the environment" (5.-9.8.2016 in Tübingen) Dr. Tushar Rastogi (Institute for sustainable chemistry and environmental chemistry> of the University of Lüneburg) for the publication " Re-Designing of Existing Pharmaceuticals for Environmental biodegradability: A tiered approach with ?-blocker propranolol as to ex-amp-le "... (Environ Sci Technol 2015 49, 11756?11763) awarded.
During the Conference "International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment (ICCE)" in Dresden was Dr. Sebastian Scheinhardt (Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research; TROPOS) for his publication on the effects of climate change on air quality, " Comprehensive chemical characterization of size-segregated PM 10 in Dresden and estimation of changes due to global warming " ( Atmos. Env. 2013, 75, 365?373) was awarded the 2015 Paul-Crutzen Award .
At the 6th joint Conference of SETAC GLB and the GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology from 7.-10. September 2014 in Gießen and Homberg (Ohm) on the topic of "Researching the basics, applying knowledge, imparting knowledge", the chairman of the FG Prof. Andreas Schäffer presented the Division Award award to Thorsten Hüffer for his publication " How redox conditions and irradiation affect sorption of PAHs by dispersed fullerenes (nC60) "( Environ. Sci. Technol. 2013, 43, 6935-6942).
At the SETAC-GLB / GDCh-FG Conference "City, Country, River: Ecotoxicology in Urban Areas" from 23.-26. September 2013 in Essen, the FG chairman Prof. Andreas Schäffer presented the Division Award award to Christoph Moschet for his publication " Multi-Level Approach for the Integrated Assessment of Polar Organic Micropollutants in an International Lake Catchment: The Example of Lake Constance " ( Environ. Sci Technol. 2013, 47, 7028-7036).
Moschet presented a new and comprehensive concept for the recording and assessment of water pollution with organic micropollutants using the example of Lake Constance. First he analyzed the water of Lake Constance for anthropogenic organic trace substances using LC-HRMS. In a second step, he determined the main pollution points in the tributaries of Lake Constance for the substances with the help of an extended GIS-based catchment area model. In particular, the model-based predictions on the future development of the concentrations in the lake and the calculation of the influence of reduction measures, such as upgrading sewage treatment plants through fourth purification stages, show the practical relevance of his work.
At the joint annual meeting of SETAC-GLB and the GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology at the Environmental Research Center in Leipzig from 10.-13. September 2012, the chairman of the FG, Prof. Andreas Schäffer, presented the award to the Japanese scientist Manabu Shiraiwa for his publication " The role of long-lived reactive oxygen intermediates in the reaction of ozone with aerosol particles " ( Nature Chem. 2011, 3, 291?295)
In his work, Shiraiwa gained important knowledge about the interactions of ozone and other gases with aerosol particles in the atmosphere. The chemical mechanisms he elucidated are of great importance in understanding the properties of atmospheric aerosols and reactive species that affect global climate and health. The work includes complex laboratory experiments as well as quantum mechanical and reaction kinetic model calculations that help to make statements about the toxicity and allergenic potential of soot, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrated protein macromolecules.
At the EuCheMS International Conference on Chemistry in the Environment (ICCE) 2011 in Zurich, which was organized by the GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology , the group chairman Prof. Dr. A. Schäffer the publication award of the Division, which was shared this time:
Dr. Karolina Nowak received the award for her work " Formation of bound residues from microbial biomass during 2,4-D degradation in soil " ( Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45, 999-1006). In her study, Ms. Nowak combined laboratory experiments with labeled substrates and analysis with isotope mass spectrometry in a complex and intelligent way. This enabled her to follow the fate of an environmental chemical during and after microbial degradation, its incorporation into biomass and, after its death, its integration into the organic material of the soil, resolved over time. Ms. Nowak thus made a significant contribution to research in the field of the formation and dynamics of so-called bound residues.
Dr. Andreas Kretschmann was awarded the prize for his publication " Toxicokinetic Model Describing Bioconcentration and Biotransformation of Diazinon in Daphnia magna " ( Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45, 4995-5002). In this study on the toxicokinetics of an insecticide in Daphnia magna, Mr Kretschmann combined the important topics of pollutant absorption, transformation and ecotoxicological effects in an exemplary manner. He presented the results of a methodologically demanding and convincing combination of experimental biological work, modern chemical analysis and the development of a toxicodynamic model. Mr. Kretschmann underlined the importance of quantitative results and kinetic aspects in environmental chemical and ecotoxicological research.
At the annual meeting of the GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology "Environment 2010" in Dessau the FG Chairman Prof. G. Lammel handed the publication price of the Division, which was divided and awarded to the following people:
Dr. Marianne Matzke for her publication " Ionic liquids in soils: Effects of different anion species of imidazolium based ionic liquids on wheat (Triticum aestivum) as affected by different clay minerals and clay concentrations " ( Ecotoxicology 2009, 18, 197-203). In her work, Marianne Matzke investigated how certain chemicals, so-called ionic liquids, affect the growth of wheat and at the same time varied the composition of the soil in which the plants grew.
Dr. Annekatrin Dreyer for her publication " Polyfluorinated compounds in the atmosphere of the atlantic and southern oceans: Evidence for a global distribution " ( Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009, 43, 6507-6514). As part of her DBU doctoral scholarship, Annekatrin Dreyer investigated the global transport of certain pollutants, the so-called polyfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs), via the atmosphere into the environment.
For the first time, the Division Award award was advertised as a pure publication award in 2009. A 3-person jury consisting of Profs Eisträger, Matthies and Püttmann had the difficult task of choosing the best work.
In the end, the jury clearly voted on Michael C. Dodd and his publication " Oxidation of Antibacterial Compounds by Ozone and Hydroxyl Radical: Elimination of Biological Activity during Aqueous Ozonation Processes " ( Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009, 43, 2498-504 ). As Prof. Eisträger emphasized in his laudation, this work on the oxidation of antibacterial components by ozone and hydroxyl radicals clearly stood out from a multitude of great works.
| 2024 | Alexandra Loll | Fraunhofer IME in Schmallenberg |
| Dr. Anja FRM Ramsperger | University of Bayreuth | |
| 2023 | Dr. Carolin Seller-Brison | University of Zurich and Eawag |
| Dr. Florian Ungeheuer | Goethe University Frankfurt | |
| 2022 | Dr. Steffen Breinlinger | Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen and the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg |
| Dr. Jennifer Susanne Strehse | Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel | |
| 2021 | Dr. Alexander Maximilian Voigt | University Hospital Bonn |
| 2019 | Dr. Sigrid Richter-Brockmann | University of Münster |
| 2018 | Dr. Anika Pohlabeln | University of Oldenburg |
| 2017 | Dr. Martin Brüggemann | Université de Lyon |
| 2016 | Dr. Tushar Rastogi | LEUPHANA University of Lüneburg |
| 2015 | Dr. Sebastian Scheinhardt | University of Leipzig |
| 2014 | Dr. Thorsten Hüffer | University of Vienna/Austria |
| 2013 | Christoph Moschet | Dübendorf/Switzerland |
| 2012 | Dr. Manabu Shiraiwa | |
| 2011 | Dr. Karolina Nowak Dr. Andreas Kretschmann | UFZ Leipzig |
| 2010 | Dr. Annekatrin Dreyer Dr. Marianne Matzke | |
| 2009 | Dr. Michael Dodd | New Haven, CT/USA |
| 2007 | Dr. rer. nat. Doris Völker | UFZ Leipzig |
| 2006 | Dipl. geoecologist Sandra Russold | UFZ Leipzig |
| 2003 | Dr. Marco Eissen | ETH Zurich/Switzerland |
| 2001 | Dr. Katja Riedel | Hamburg |
| 2000 | Andreas Beyer | Osnabrück |
This page has been machine translated. If you have any feedback or comments please feel free to contact us. 
last modified: 09.12.2024 19:29 H from Translator
