Funding Cutting-Edge Research by Women
26 June 2025
Three female researchers receive funding through the Olympia Morata Programme
Three young postdoctoral researchers with outstanding qualification projects are being supported through the Olympia Morata Programme at Heidelberg University. Following successful evaluation of their applications, Dr Nina Prokoph from the Medical Faculty Heidelberg, as well as Dr Warda Darwisch and Dr Alena Michel-Kröhler from the Medical Faculty Mannheim of Heidelberg University, have been selected. The program aims to encourage more women to pursue careers in academia and university teaching, and to sustainably increase their representation in leadership positions both within the university and beyond.
At Heidelberg University Hospital and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Dr Prokoph is investigating the microenvironment of tumors, which survive by occupying niches in the bone marrow. Her research focuses on how the patient-specific tumor microenvironment influences the effectiveness of immunotherapies. Through her work, the researcher seeks to further advance personalized cancer therapy in this area, with the aim of developing a data- and evidence-based support system that will assist medical professionals in making informed decisions and selecting appropriate immunotherapies.
Dr Darwisch’s research project focuses on screening for retinopathy in premature infants in the hopes of improving the early diagnosis of this potentially severe retinal disease. The researcher is working on innovative methods of retinal imaging – a technique used to visualize and examine the retina. The aim of the project is to develop evidence-based guidelines for photographic documentation and corresponding training modules. In doing so, Warda Darwisch seeks to contribute to the establishment of a telemedicine network that will secure and enhance eye care for high-risk children in the long term. The project is based at the Department of Ophthalmology at the University Medical Centre Mannheim.
Dr Michel-Kröhler is researching the psychological phenomenon of rumination in the context of sport – understood as repetitive negative thinking. This rumination ranges from everyday thought loops, for instance those occurring before sleep, to clinically relevant patterns associated with the onset of depression. In three studies using different methodological approaches, the researcher is exploring whether different types of rumination exist and to what extent these thought patterns may pose a risk to the mental health of athletes. Alena Michel-Kröhler is conducting this research at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim.
The Olympia Morata Programme supports postdoctoral researchers with outstanding qualification projects. To support their academic career progression, they receive fixed-term positions for a period of two years as part of Heidelberg University’s Equality Concept, alongside additional training and career development opportunities. The funding program is named after Olympia Morata, an Italian poet and humanist scholar who died in Heidelberg in 1555.