Prizeworthy research
More than tradition: Nobel laureates have left their mark on the German research landscape.
It was a good start. Since physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen won the very first Nobel Prize, numerous German scientists and physicians have been honoured with the highest research award. A dozen of these Nobel laureates have left a strong mark on today’s German research landscape. For example, Harald zur Hausen, the Heidelberg-based medical scientist, continues to advance cancer research, while Hartmut Michel, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, is studying the secrets of membrane proteins at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt. From his base in Munich, Theodor W. Hänsch, who was one of the winners of the 2005 Physics Nobel Prize, is investigating the foundations of how we see the world with ever more precise measuring techniques. These subjects are also regularly discussed in Lindau on the shores of Lake Constance: the annual Nobel Laureate Meeting brings together top international researchers and up-and-coming scientists in the south German town.
