Mildred Dresselhaus Guest Professorship 2026: call for applications and nominations

12 March 2026

Photo: Columbia University, Collage Jana Backhaus

Mildred Dresselhaus as a young scientist.

The application and nomination process for the Mildred Dresselhaus Guest Professorship Program for 2026 is open. Each year, the program honors an internationally outstanding female scientist with the senior award and a promising young scientist with the junior award.

 The recipients receive personal prize money of 20,000 euros for the senior award and 10,000 euros for the junior award. They will also be invited to conduct research in the Cluster of Excellence "CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter" for six months, during which they will benefit from the excellent conditions. The objective of the program is to promote exceptional female scientists, to stimulate or intensify international scientific collaborations and to establish role models for the scientific community in Hamburg.

• Application deadline: 29 April 2026
• Details on how to apply or nominate: Nominations and applications (PDF)
• Contact:  eileen.schwanold"AT"uni-hamburg.de

Mildred Dresselhaus (1939-2017) was a pioneer in advancing women in science and technology and was considered a role model to many. The program was initiated in 2012 at the Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging (CUI) in recognition of the extraordinary achievements of the eminent professor of physics and electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.

In 2013, the first female awardees conducted research at the cluster. In March 2024, the cluster celebrated the tenth anniversary together with many awardees at a jubilee conference.