Around the world, the scientific community is coming under increasing pressure. Researchers who face political persecution, take risks as whistleblowers, or work on socially sensitive topics need a great deal of courage.

• Andrés Olarte (Technische Universität Berlin): As a consultant for the Colombian oil company “Ecopetrol,” he found evidence that his employer was causing massive environmental pollution and, in some cases, covering it up. Olarte backed up the data, was exposed, and had to find a new job. And the consequences became even more severe - the whistleblower received anonymous death threats. Thanks to his top grades and a semester abroad at Cambridge (UK), he was accepted into a master’s program in innovation management at the Technical University. Today, he is pursuing his Ph.D. there, researching how rules and incentives influence behavior, whether in companies or in the context of climate protection.
• Mohammad Dawood Rahimi (Freie Universität Berlin): It is difficult to describe people diagnosed with ADHD. The attention disorder manifests itself in such a highly individualized way. This makes it hard to determine what is different in these brains. The neuroscientist believes the symptoms are the result of an unstable energy supply to the nerve cells responsible for cognitive control. He suggests that ADHD is actually EDHS, an “energy deficit and hyperactivity disorder”—proving this will require a great deal of research. For Rahimi, who once overcame enormous hurdles as a refugee, this is more of an incentive than an obstacle.

• Dr. Zafer Yilmaz (Alice Salomon Hochschule Berlin / Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): Just under ten years ago, he was forced to flee Turkey after joining “Academics for Peace,” a group advocating for a peaceful settlement with the Kurds. Since then, Yilmaz has made a name for himself as a voice in exile. The political scientist conducts research on topics such as populism, authoritarian rule, and the restructuring of the Turkish state. 

• Dr. Hacı Çevik (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): The political scientist examines how the identity of Kurdish migrants coming to Europe from Central Anatolia changes, as well as how Syrian refugees are disadvantaged in Turkey. His work sheds light on the mechanisms of discrimination, nationalism, and collective identity. In 2026, he received the Voltaire Prize for Tolerance, International Understanding and Respect for Differences. Çevik is supported by the Einstein Foundation as a postdoctoral fellow.
• Lisa Niendorf-Schlüter (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): Exploitation, abuse of power, pressure to perform: These issues are often swept under the rug in academia as well. In her book *UNIversal gescheitert*, the educational researcher has addressed these topics, and the book has made it onto *Der Spiegel*’s bestseller list. Her mission: to thoroughly improve working conditions at universities.

All of them were presented today in Der Tagesspiegel (October 2, 2026) within the framework of the series “The 100 Most Important Minds in Berlin Academia 2026” (T+, in German).