Gebärdensprache
Leichte Sprache
The Prize
Jury
The members of the jury are independent experts in science and industry.
The following individuals have been appointed by the Federal President to a five year tenure:
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Frank Allgöwer
Director
Institute for Systems Theory and Automatic Control (IST)
University of Stuttgart
Studied Engineering Cybernetics and Applied Mathematics at University of Stuttgart and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Ph.D. at the University of Stuttgart. Assistant Professor at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. Since 1999 Full Professor and Director of the Institute for Systems Theory and Automatic Control, University of Stuttgart.
From 2003 to 2004, Visiting Professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, California, USA, 2010 to 2011 Visiting Professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia. From 2012 to 2020 Vice-president of the German Research Foundation (DFG). Co-founder of the spin-off companies TGU Systemwissenschaften and eStarling.io
Member of numerous scientific organizations and university committees as well as editor and co-editor of various international journals.
Christiane Bardroff
Chef Operating Officer und Vorstandsmitglied
Rentschler Biopharma SE
Studium der Biotechnologie und Chemietechnik an der Fachhochschule Emden sowie an der Zhejiang University of Science and Technology in Hangzhou (China).
Von 2007 bis 2016 tätig bei Roche Pharma am Standort Penzberg in verschiedenen Funktionen in den Bereichen Produktion, Automation, IT und Projektmanagement.
Von 2016 bis 2022 bei Teva Biotech in Ulm verantwortlich für den Aufbau einer hochautomatisierten, großtechnischen biotechnologischen Multiprodukt-Produktionsanlage. Mitglied des Site Leadership Teams sowie des globalen Führungsteams der Teva Biotech.
Seit 2022 bei Rentschler Biopharma, zunächst als Senior Vice President Client Program Management sowie Senior Vice President Clinical and Commercial Manufacturing, seit dem 1. Dezember 2022 Chief Operating Officer und Vorstandsmitglied der Rentschler Biopharma SE. Zudem Mitglied in Beiräten verschiedener Hochschulen sowie im Vorstand des BioPharma Cluster South Germany, als auch im Beirat des Innovations Technologie Zentrums, Biberach.
Prof. Dr. Michael Decker
Technische Universität München
Generaldirektor des Deutschen Museums
Studium der Physik und Promotion an der Universität Heidelberg, Habilitation zur Technikfolgenabschätzung an der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg.
Seit Juni 2025 Generaldirektor des Deutschen Museums und Oskar-von-Miller Professor für Wissenschaftskommunikation und Technikfolgenabschätzung an der TU München. Zuvor leitete er am Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT) den Bereich „Informatik, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft“ sowie das Institut für Technikfolgenabschätzung und Systemanalyse (ITAS).
Michael Decker ist ordentliches Mitglied in der Deutschen Akademie der Technikwissenschaften (acatech). Er ist Vorsitzender des Beirats „Insight“ des Bundesministeriums für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt und Gründungsvorsitzender des Fachbeirats „Technik im Dialog“ des Vereins der Deutschen Ingenieure (VDI).
Prof. Dr. Peter Druschel
Scientific Director
Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, Saarbrücken
Degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Applied Sciences FH in Munich.
From 1988, studies in Computer Science in the USA, taking a Ph.D. at the University of Arizona.
As of 1994, Professor for Computer Science at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Visiting research fellowships at MIT, in Cambridge (England) and in Paris.
Appointment as Scientific Director of the newly founded Max Planck Institute for Software Systems in Saarbrücken (since 2005).
His research focus is on distributed and mobile computer systems, specifically questions dealing with reliability, security and protection of the private sphere.
Dr.-Ing. Katharina Helten
SVP Technology, RSBG SE
Studied mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen University, doctorate at the Chair of Product Development at TU Munich. Visiting research student as part of her doctorate program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge.
From 2013, various management roles at Continental and Vitesco Technologies in the field of electromobility, most recently as Head of Product Line Thermal Management with globally distributed teams and production lines. Since 2023 SVP Technology at RSBG SE, a subsidiary of the RAG-Stiftung, which makes an important contribution to financing the perpetual obligations of the Federal Republic of Germany with its investments in medium-sized technology companies.
Since 2021 lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at TU Darmstadt.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Kaskel
Chair of Inorganic Chemistry I
Technische Universität Dresden
Studies in chemistry at Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Tübingen. Thereafter Feodor Lynen scholar at Ames Laboratory and Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. Group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, Mülheim/Ruhr from 2002 to 2004. Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at TU Dresden since 2004. Since 2008 ancillary activity as Technology Field Manager for Chemical Surface and Battery Technology at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS in Dresden, and from 2021 – 2025 Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Food Chemistry (TU Dresden).
Member of the Advisory Council to the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research BMBF research initiative “Battery Research Germany”. Elected member of the European Academy of Science and the Henriette Herz Scouting program of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. Repeated recognition as a highly cited researcher (Clarivate) and two ERC Advanced grants.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla
Chairwoman of the Executive Board
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt e.V.
Degree in Mechanical Engineering and doctorate at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum. After postings to the Hahn-Meitner-Institut and the TU Berlin and qualification for a teaching career in higher education at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum and a call to a university professorship at the Institute for Materials Science and Technology at the Technical University Vienna.
From 2005 to 2008, scientific member, director and manager of the Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung in Düsseldorf, followed by a posting as scientific managing director at the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin for Materials and Energy.
From 2017 to 2020 President of the Technische Universität of Braunschweig. Since October 2020 Chairwoman of the Executive Board of the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR).
Dr. Karl Naegler
Partner, Sofinnova Partners, München und Paris
Studium der Biologie an der Freien Universität Berlin; Promotion in Molekularer Neurobiologie am Max‑Delbrück‑Center für Molekulare Medizin (MDC) in Berlin. Anschließend Scientific Fellow am CNRS (Neurochemie) in Straßburg.
Beruflicher Einstieg in die Venture‑Capital‑Branche bei Atlas Venture und Ventech, später Partner bei Gimv und Managing Partner bei Wellington Partners.
Seit September 2024 Partner bei Sofinnova Partners.
Rund 20 Jahre Erfahrung in Frühphaseninvestitionen im Bereich Life Sciences in Europa mit ausgewiesenem Track Record entlang des gesamten Company‑Building‑Zyklus – von der Unternehmensgründung bis zum Exit. Beteiligung an der Finanzierung und Aufbau zahlreicher Unternehmen: Imcheck Therapeutics (Übernahme durch Ipsen), Breath Therapeutics (Übernahme durch Zambon), Covagen (Übernahme durch Johnson & Johnson) und Prosonix (Übernahme durch Circassia Pharmaceuticals) und U3 Pharma (Übernahme durch Daiichi Sankyo).
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Natalie Stranghöner
Head of Institute for Metal and Lightweight Structures
University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen
Studied civil engineering and completed her doctorate at RWTH Aachen University. Subsequently project engineer at HRA Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH, Bochum in the field of steel and composite bridge construction and deputy professor for steel structures at TU Dresden with subsequent habilitation at TU Dresden.
Since 2008 university professor for metal and lightweight structures at the University of Duisburg-Essen and since 2019 managing partner of Stranghöner Ingenieure GmbH, Essen.
Member of the expert committees for metal structures and plastic structures of the Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt) as well as numerous scientific advisory boards, technical committees and standardization committees.
Dr.-Ing. Michael Tagscherer
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Giesecke+Devrient GmbH, Munich
Studied computer science with minors in mathematics and electrical engineering at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), doctorate in applied AI at the Bavarian Research Center for Knowledge-Based Systems (FORWISS) in Erlangen in collaboration with Chemnitz University of Technology and Siemens.
Joined Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) in 2001 as Product Manager, followed by management of the international product portfolio in the Connectivity business unit and the newly founded Enterprise Security / OEM Division. From 2008 to 2013 responsible for G+D's product portfolio in China and business development for the APAC region. From 2017 CTO of G+D Mobile Security and since 2019 CTO of G+D Group.
Many years of experience and participation in various scientific committees and advisory boards, including Applied AI (UnternehmerTUM), Trusted Electronic Bayern and the Bavarian Research Foundation.
Drawings: © Lisa „Mullana“ Schmidt