Prize German Physical Society Honors Matthias Bartelmann
1 December 2025
Expanding understanding of physics beyond the academic community through outstanding textbooks and popular science writing
Prof. Dr Matthias Bartelmann is being honored by the German Physical Society (DPG) for his exceptional achievements in disseminating scientific knowledge through physics teaching, instruction, and didactics. According to the citation for the Robert Wichard Pohl Prize, worth 5,000 euros, the award recognizes his outstanding research in theoretical astrophysics and cosmology, which has had a broad impact in promoting physics through several excellent textbooks and numerous contributions for an interested public. Prof. Bartelmann has been teaching and conducting research at Heidelberg University for over two decades; he is a member of the Institute for Theoretical Physics.
As an internationally renowned expert in theoretical astrophysics, Prof. Bartelmann has an exceptional scientific record, the DPG notes. “Alongside his significant research contributions, he has set new standards in university-level physics teaching through his authorship of a multi-volume standard textbook on theoretical physics. His lectures on theoretical physics, along with his other books and talks, have inspired students and lecturers alike. His numerous popular science articles promote an understanding of physics far beyond the specialist community,” says the German Physical Society in its statement of reasons for honoring Matthias Bartelmann.
Matthias Bartelmann studied physics at LMU Munich. He completed his diploma thesis and doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Garching. With the exception of a 1994/1995 research stay at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA), he remained there as a researcher until he moved to Heidelberg University. In 2003, having completed his habilitation in Munich in 1998, he was appointed Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics at Ruperto Carola. Prof. Bartelmann’s research focuses on galaxy clusters and gravitational lensing, as well as questions in cosmology, particularly the formation, evolution and universality of cosmic structures. He has received the Otto Hahn Medal awarded by the Max Planck Society, several teaching awards, and the Ludwig Biermann Award of the German Astronomical Society.
The DPG awards the Robert Wichard Pohl Prize each year for outstanding contributions to physics that strongly influence other disciplines in the fields of science and technology. At the same time, it recognizes exceptional achievements in disseminating scientific knowledge through physics teaching, instruction, and didactics. The 2026 award will be presented in March next year during the German Physical Society’s annual meeting in Erlangen.