An Alexander von Humboldt Professorship, which comes with up to 5 million EUR in funding, offers not only optimal financial conditions but also maximum flexibility for conducting leading-edge research in Germany. The recently selected award winners are to use Germany’s most valuable international research award to work for an extended period at a German research institute.

The following nominees were chosen to receive the award:

• A pioneer in organic bioelectronics, Sahika Inal’s research at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia, combines electronics with living systems. Dresden University of Technology and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden aim to appoint Inal in order to achieve global leadership in the area of next-generation bioelectronic systems and intelligent health technologies.
• Michael Moehler, an internationally recognised analytical philosopher, conducts research at Virginia Tech, USA. His work at the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf is to increase the university’s expertise in the area of Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) in the coming years.
• The immunologist Jan Rehwinkel conducts research at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, where his work revolves around immune system reactions to virus infections. His outstanding expertise in the field of innate immunity will strengthen this research focus at the University of Heidelberg.
• The climatologist Pierre Gentine, a professor at Columbia University, USA, is the world’s leading expert on the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) in earth system science. With his appointment, the University of Tübingen seeks to join the forefront of AI-supported earth system research.

The new award winners will now embark on appointment negotiations with the German universities that nominated them. They will receive their awards in 2026 following the successful conclusion of their negotiations. 

During its meeting in October, the Selection Committee took decisions on nine nominations. Alexander von Humboldt Professorships are awarded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and financed by Germany's Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. The award ceremony will be held in Berlin in May 2026.

Every year, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation enables more than 2,000 researchers from all over the world to spend time conducting research in Germany. The Foundation maintains an interdisciplinary network of well over 30,000 Humboldtians in more than 140 countries around the world – including 63 Nobel Prize winners.

Futher Reading 

• Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (27.11.2025): New Alexander von Humboldt Professors selected