Turning waste into raw materials, predicting floods, removing persistent chemicals from water, and storing carbon in the soil: These researchers are working on solutions to the major threats facing our environment – and, by extension, all of us.

• Dr. Rhea Machado (Porelio; Technische Universität zu Berlin): Already at six years old, she wanted to become an inventor. Today, Rhea Machado is tackling an urgent environmental issue: PFAS, so-called “forever chemicals” that barely break down in the environment. As co-founder and CEO of the Berlin-based start-up Porelio, the TU alumna is developing special materials designed to remove PFAS from industrial and municipal wastewater. In early 2026, Porelio raised €2.4 million from investors for this purpose.

• Dr. Ruben Gerrits (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): Merely limiting carbon dioxide emissions will clearly not be enough to prevent the overheating of the Earth's climate: The gas must be removed from the atmosphere on a large scale. The postdoctoral researcher, funded as an Einstein Independent Researcher, is using a natural pigment for this purpose: melanin. This polymer gives humans their skin colour; it is also produced by fungi and bacteria. Moreover, it is resistant to decomposition and improves soil quality. Actively promoting its production could bind tonnes of carbon.

• Josephine Lang und Lilli Johanna Schlünz (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin): They are involved in the “Studium Oecologicum” at HU Berlin, a teaching format co-developed by students that focuses on sustainability. Through the lecture series “Der Grüne Faden” ("The Green Thread") and a project tutorial, the two women create spaces for discussions on climate justice, biodiversity, and how to initiate change and take sustainable ideas beyond the university. For this, they received the Berlin State Prize for Excellent University Teaching in the category “Student Teaching” in 2026, which was awarded for the first time.

All of them were presented today in Der Tagesspiegel (October 8, 2026) within the framework of the series “The 100 Most Important Minds in Berlin Academia 2026” (T+, in German).