Marie-Luise Jung Prize Excellent Achievements: Award for Outstanding Master’s Student
22 April 2026
Marie-Luise Jung Prize, presented for the fourth time, goes to biochemist Franziska Gießler
Franziska Gießler has been honored as an outstanding master’s graduate of Heidelberg University. The biochemist has been selected to receive the 2026 Marie-Luise Jung Prize in recognition of her scientific potential regarding the doctoral phase she has just begun, and to a subsequent career in academic research. The award, jointly sponsored by the university with the Constituted Student Body and the Doctoral Convention, is granted by the Faculty of Biosciences; the prize commemorates the biology student killed during a shooting four years ago, whose express wish was to embark on an academic career at Heidelberg University. “The prize is a symbol of mourning and commemoration, but it is also a look to the future, which is intended to encourage young women scientists,” emphasized the Rector of Ruperto Carola, Prof. Dr Frauke Melchior, at the start of the award ceremony.
Franziska Gießler studied biochemistry at Heidelberg University, focusing on RNA nanotechnology. The key reason for selecting her as winner of the Marie-Luise Jung Prize, alongside her top performance during her course and her dedication to the faculty, was the special quality of her master’s thesis, which she wrote at the Center for Molecular Biology of Heidelberg University (ZMBH) in Prof. Dr Kerstin Göpfrich’s research group. In it, Franziska Gießler deals with certain nanostructures based on ribonucleic acid (RNA) and assembling into what are called droplets. In his tribute, Prof. Dr Walter Nickel, Dean of Studies at the Faculty of Biosciences, praised the prize-winner’s excellent achievements. The fact that her final thesis was published in the internationally renowned journal “Angewandte Chemie” with Franziska Gießler as first author, he added, was a testament to its persuasiveness and significance. “That is very rare at this early stage of an academic career”, underlined the Dean of Studies.
Oliver Kübeck, on behalf of the Doctoral Convention, highlighted the prize-winner’s strong commitment to social causes. She had made numerous contributions to university life – for instance as part of the departmental student committee, the academic commission and in the faculty council. This was by no means a given, he said, especially while achieving exceptional academic accomplishments. As one of two chairs of the Constituted Student Body, Sebastian Fath recognized in particular the prize-winner’s promising scientific work.
Franziska Gießler completed her bachelor and master’s course in biochemistry at Heidelberg University with a research period at ETH Zurich (Switzerland). She was supported by a qualification scholarship from the Carl Zeiss Stiftung in the last year of her program. For her master’s thesis Franziska Gießler has already received the Prize of the Biotechnology Future Forum. It is awarded by DECHEMA, the society for chemical engineering and biotechnology. Last year, she began her doctoral work at the AMOLF research institute for the physics of functional complex matter in Amsterdam (Netherlands). There Franziska Gießler is researching new methods for the construction of minimal biological systems.
In 2022, the Rectorate and the governing bodies of the Constituted Student Body and the Doctoral Convention of Heidelberg University decided, in consultation with the Faculty of Biosciences and the victim’s family, that a prize would be initiated in memory of the 23-year-old student who lost her life. It comes with 1,500 euros in prize money and is awarded annually during an academic ceremony. This year’s award ceremony took place on 21 April in the Great Hall of the Old University.