They are young researchers who could become the thought leaders of tomorrow. Their work addresses some of today’s most pressing issues – from road safety, water and climate challenges, and sustainable architecture to the impact of social media on public debate.

• Dr. Luke Dimitrios Spieker (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): The legal scholar and postdoctoral researcher at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin examines how European values such as democracy, the rule of law, and human rights can be anchored in law and effectively upheld. His research has received numerous awards. In 2025, he was awarded the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize, one of Germany’s most prestigious awards for early-career researchers.

• Dr. Juliane Schaer (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): The biologist studies bats that show a remarkable tolerance to malaria-like parasites. In Uganda, up to 90 percent are infected without showing symptoms of disease. Schaer investigates why – and what this can tell us about the evolution of malaria parasites. Since June 2026, her research has been funded through the Heisenberg Programme of the DFG.

• Dr. Daniela Stoltenberg (Weizenbaum-Institut; Technische Universität Berlin): Daniela Stoltenberg investigates how local conflicts – such as the controversy surrounding Tesla’s factory in Grünheide – gain wider attention through social media. Who joins the debate, which narratives prevail, and what does this heightened attention mean for local communities? She leads her own research group funded through the DFG’s prestigious Emmy Noether Programme. The group is associated with the Collaborative Research Centre “Re-Figuration of Spaces” at Technische Universität Berlin and receives around €1.6 million in funding over six years.

• Dr. des. Freya Schwachenwald (Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten): In her doctoral dissertation at Technische Universität Berlin, the art historian examined mid-19th-century German perspectives on Asia. Her research shows how artists and photographers drew on images of white male heroism in their representations of travel, while “the Asian” was often reduced to an ornamental element. In 2026, she received the doctoral thesis award of the Studienstiftung for her dissertation. She now brings this critical perspective to her work in exhibition assistance at the Stiftung Preußische Schlösser und Gärten.

• Roland Hauschulz (Technische Universität Berlin): The transport planner and certified road safety auditor took a close look at the Berlin Senate’s plans for Torstraße – and reached a damning conclusion. His assessment identifies 90 safety deficiencies, a third of which pose serious accident risks. Despite growing protests, the Senate is moving ahead with the redesign. In his teaching, Hauschulz covers how all road users can coexist safely across eight courses.

• Dr. Nils Weinberg (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): The legal scholar has examined the contested concept of identity from the perspective of legal philosophy. What does self-determination mean, for example in matters of religion or gender? Weinberg’s work seeks to provide a foundation for how questions of identity can be negotiated in society and in law in the future. His doctoral research on the subject earned him the prestigious Studienpreis of the Körber-Stiftung.

All of them were presented today in Der Tagesspiegel (October 5, 2026) within the framework of the series “The 100 Most Important Minds in Berlin Academia 2026” (T+, in German).