German Study Award for researcher at the Chair of Laser Physics
Two FAU researchers have each been awarded second prize in the Köber Foundation’s German Study Prize 2024. Dr. Tobias Weitz and Dr. Silvia Weko were presented with the prizes, endowed with 5000 euros, by the President of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, at the German Parliamentary Society.
Dr. des. Silvia Weko, Chair of Sustainability Transition Policy, won the prize in the Social Sciences section with her dissertation on “Distributed energy resources, centralized profits: Why the monopolization of data and AI could lead to an unjust energy transition”. Dr. Tobias Weitz, Chair of Laser Physics, was awarded a prize in the Natural and Technical Sciences section for his dissertation on “Ultra-short laser pulses for lightning-fast computers”. For both prizewinners, the social significance of their research is particularly important.
Dr. Tobias Weitz deals with the physical principles behind AI and demonstrates a transformative approach for a light field-controlled computer architecture that has the potential to calculate up to 100,000 times faster than with current technology.
About the German Academic Award of the Körber Foundation
The non-profit foundation established in 1959 by entrepreneur and founder Kurt A. Körber honors the best doctoral graduates in all disciplines with the German Academic Award each year. The main focus is on the social significance of research: young researchers are encouraged to emphasize the social value of their own achievements and to engage in a public debate about them. One top prize of 25,000 euros and two second prizes of 5,000 euros are awarded in each of the three sections: social sciences, natural and technical sciences and humanities and cultural studies. 719 participants submitted an entry this year. The patron of the research prize is Bundestag President Bärbel Bas.
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