Leibniz Prize
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is the highest honour awarded in German research. The Leibniz Programme, established in 1985, aims to improve the working conditions of outstanding scientists and academics, expand their research opportunities, relieve them of administrative tasks, and help them employ particularly qualified young researchers. A maximum of €2.5 million is provided per award. Twelve Leibniz Prize winners have gone on to also be awarded the Nobel Prize.
2025
Prof. Dr. Bettina Valeska Lotsch
MPI für Festkörperforschung, Stuttgart
2024
Prof. Dr. Tobias Erb
MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg
Prof. Dr. Moritz Helmstaedter
MPI for Brain Research, Frankfurt am Main
2023
Prof. Dr. Sarah Ellen O’Connor
MPI for Chemical Ecology, Jena
2022
Prof. Dr. Marietta Auer
MPI for Legal History and Legal Theory, Frankfurt am Main
Prof. Dr. Iain D. Couzin
MPI of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell / Constance
2021
Dr. Asifa Akhtar
MPI of Immunbiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg
Prof. Dr. Volker Springel
MPI for Astrophysics, Garching
2020
Prof. Dr. Dagmar Schäfer
MPI for the History of Science, Berlin
Dr. Baptiste Gault
MPI für Eisenforschung, Düsseldorf
Prof. Dr. Andrea Musacchio
MPI of Molecular Physiology
Prof. Dr. Markus Reichstein
MPI for Biogeochemistry, Jena
2019
Dr. Melina Schuh
MPI for Biophysical Chemistry (Karl-Friedrich-Bonhoeffer-Institut), Göttingen
Prof. Dr. Brenda Schulman
MPI of Biochemistry (MPIB), Martinsried
Prof. Dr. Ayelet Shachar
Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, Göttingen
2018
Prof. Dr. Alessandra Buonanno
MPI for Gravitational Physics, Potsdam
Prof. Dr. Erika L. Pearce
MPI for Immunbiology and Epigenetics, Freiburg
Prof. Dr. Jens Beckert
MPI for the Science of Societies, Cologne
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Schölkopf
MPI for Intelligent Systems, Tübingen
2016
Prof. Dr. Ralph Hertwig
MPI for Human Development, Berlin
Prof. Dr. Frank Jülicher
MPI for the Physics of Complex Systems, Dresden
Prof. Dr. Joachim Spatz
MPI for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart
2015
Prof. Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier
MPI for Infection Biology, Berlin
Prof. Dr. Benjamin List
MPI für Kohlenforschung, Mülheim/Ruhr
Prof. Dr. Marina Rodnina
MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen
2014
Prof. Dr. Armin von Bogdandy
MPI for Comparative Public Law and International Law
Prof. Dr. Nicole Dubilier
MPI for Marine Microbiology
2013
Prof. Dr. Roderich Moessner
MPI for the Physics of Complex Systems
2012
Prof. Dr. Matthias Mann
MPI for Biochemistry
2011
Prof. Dr. Anthony A. Hyman
MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Keimer
MPI for Solid State Research
2010
Prof. Dr. Ulman Lindenberger
MPI for Human Development
Prof. Dr. Peter Fratzl
MPI of Colloids and Interfaces
Prof. Dr. Frank Neese
MPI for Chemical Energy Conversion
Prof. Dr. Petra Schwille
MPI of Biochemistry
2009
Prof. Dr. Antje Boetius
MPI for Marine Microbiology
Prof. Dr. Karl Lenhard Rudolph
Max Planck Research Group "Stem Cell Biology and Tissue Regeneration" at the University of Ulm
2008
Prof. Dr. Elena Conti
MPI of Biochemistry
Prof. Dr. Stefan W. Hell
MPI for Biophysical Chemistry
MPI for Developmental Biology
Prof. Dr. Klaus Kern
MPI for Solid State Research
2007
Prof. Dr. Patrick Bruno
MPI of Microstructure Physics
MPI for Astrophysics
Prof. Dr. Detlef Weigel
MPI for Developmental Biology
2006
Prof. Dr. Ferenc Krausz
MPI of Quantum Optics
Prof. Dr. Marino Zerial
MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
2005
Prof. Dr. Günther Hasinger
MPI for Extraterrestrial Physics
2004
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dierk Raaber
MPI für Eisenforschung GmbH
2003
Prof. Dr. Winfried Denk
MPI for Medical Research
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Huisken
MPI for Gravitational Physics
Prof. Dr. Ferdi Schüth
MPI für Kohlenforschung
Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Seidel
MPI for Informatics
2002
Prof. Dr. Franz-Ulrich Hartl
MPI of Biochemistry
2000
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Jahn
MPI for Biophysical Chemistry
Prof. Dr. Stefan Müller
MPI for Mathematics in the Sciences
Prof. Dr. Ilme Schlichting
MPI for Medical Research
1999
Prof. Dr. Alois Fürstner
MPI für Kohlenforschung
1998
Prof. Dr. Ute Frevert
MPI for Human Development
1997
Prof. Dr. Angela Friederici
MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Knust
MPI of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics
1996
Prof. Dr. Eduard Arzt
MPI for Metals Research
Prof. Dr. Gerd Faltings
MPI for Mathematics
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Klein
MPI for Psycholinguistics
Prof. Dr. Michael Reth
MPI of Immunobiology and Epigenetics
1994
Prof. Dr. Peter Gruss
MPI for Biophysical Chemistry
1993
Prof. Dr. Gunter Fischer
Max Planck Research Unit for Enzymology of Protein Folding
Prof. Dr. Regine Kahmann
MPI for Terrestrial Microbiology
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Krätschmer
MPI for Nuclear Physics
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Prinz
1992
Dr. Hans-Georg Rammensee
1991
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Ertl
Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society
1990
Prof. Dr. Reinhard Genzel
MPI for Extraterrestrial Physics
Prof. Dr. Arndt Simon
MPI for Solid State Research, together with Prof. Martin Jansen, Institute for Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Bonn
1989
Prof. Dr. Theodor Hänsch
MPI of Quantum Optics
1988
Prof. Dr. Hans Wolfgang Spiess
MPI for Polymer Research
1987
Prof. Dr. Erwin Neher
MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, together with Bert Sakmann
Prof. Dr. Bert Sakmann
MPI for Medical Research, together with Erwin Neher
1986
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Hartmut Michel
MPI of Biophysics
Prof. Dr. Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
MPI for Developmental Biology, together with Herbert Jäckle
Prof. Dr. Herbert Jäckle
MPI for Biophysical Chemistry, together with Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
Prof. Dr. Fritz Schäfer
MPI for Biophysical Chemistry
