Data transfer
Stefan Rothe among the winners of the German Study Prize 2024
TUD scientist Dr. Stefan Rothe achieved second place in the Körber Foundation’s German Study Prize 2024. In the natural and technical sciences section, his dissertation on the topic “The secrets of secure data transmission through fiber optics: Encrypting sensitive messages using light scattering” stood out. Rothe received prize money of 5,000 euros for the second prize. On December 3, the German Parliamentary Society will host the award ceremony in Berlin.
The Körber Foundation annually awards the German Study Prize to the best doctoral graduates. The social significance of the research is of particular importance. The foundation wants to encourage young researchers to emphasize the social value of their own achievements and to engage in a public debate about them.
Stefan Rothe received his doctorate from the Chair of Measurement and Sensor Systems Technology at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology at TU Dresden. He is currently continuing his career as a postdoc at Yale University. The TUD alumnus says of the social significance of his work: “We are all entrusting more and more sensitive information to the digital world – whether it’s online banking, digital government transactions or messenger services. With my work, I have researched how this information can be transmitted securely via a fiber optic cable.”
The jury’s shortlist even included two nominees from TUD. One of the best works in the social sciences section was Dr. Malin Katharina Hildebrandt’s dissertation, defended at the Faculty of Psychology, on the topic of “A new approach to identifying mechanistically relevant factors for the development of substance use disorders.” In the final round of the competition, the scientist was one of a total of 32 nominees and presented her research to the jury.
About the German Study Prize:
In the three sections of social sciences, natural and technical sciences, and humanities and cultural studies, the Körber Foundation awards a first prize of 25,000 euros each and two second prizes of 5,000 euros each. The Körber Foundation’s German Study Prize is awarded annually to doctoral graduates who have dealt with socially relevant topics in their dissertation and presented tangible results. 719 participants submitted an article this year. The patron of the research prize is Bundestag President Bärbel Bas.
