30 September 2026

Outstanding doctoral theses to be honoured on 8 October

Portrait© Oliver Dietze
In seiner Festrede erläutert der Geschäftsführer der Universitätsgesellschaft, Professor Frank Mücklich, die Bedeutung der Kreislaufwirtschaft: „Circular Economy – klingt gut, aber was bedeutet das konkret?“.

On 8 October, the Saarland University Society will honour young academics from all faculties for their exceptional achievements. Beginning at 6 p.m., the prize-winners will provide an engaging look into their award-winning research in the 'Aula' assembly hall on the Saarbrücken campus (A3 3). The managing director of the Saarland University Society, Professor Frank Mücklich, will give a keynote speech in German on the topic 'Circular economy – it sounds good, but what does it actually mean?'.

The following text has been machine translated from the German with no human editing.

What does a sustainable circular economy mean? In his talk, Frank Mücklich focuses on the value chain: how can we ensure that the pathways of raw materials, through to materials and finally to the end product – the so-called ‘material flows’ – are designed to be more circular from the outset, and what does this mean at a regional level? The newly emerging CIRKLA Centre of Excellence, an interdisciplinary platform for the Greater Region, is driving this topic forward as part of Saarland University’s sustainability focus: partners from Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and France are working together on this EU-funded project run by the University of the Greater Region (UniGR).

The award winners, who are receiving this year’s doctoral prize for their outstanding achievements, also provide a vivid and entertaining insight into the research currently being carried out at Saarland University.

Since this year, the award has been known as the ‘Saarland University Doctoral Prize’. The University Society has changed the name of what was previously known as the ‘Dr Eduard- Martin Prize’. On 24 June 2026, based on the report of a panel of experts, the University Senate symbolically and declaratively stripped the former president of the University’s Friends’ Association, Dr Eduard Martin, and other individuals of their honorary senatorial status due to their Nazi past.

The event is being organised by the University Society in cooperation with the University’s Early Career Office. The prize money is funded by the University Society together with its donors.

Registration for the event and further information: 

Anna-Maria Braun: academic-career(at)uni-saarland.de 

The Saarland University Society fosters close contact between academics, staff and students and alumni and benefactors. It promotes academic life in the Saarland and, above all, supports students and academics in the early stages of their careers. https://www.unigesellschaft-saarland.de

The Early Career Office connects PhD students at Saarland University and offers a diverse range of further training and support programmes to enhance their interdisciplinary skills. https://www.uni-saarland.de/forschen/early-career.html 

Press photos available for download: Press photos can be found on this news webpage: https://www.uni-saarland.de/aktuell/promotionspreis-2026-51009.html 

You may use the press photos free of charge in connection with this press release and reporting on Saarland University, provided you credit the photographer.

Portrait© Oliver Dietze
In seiner Festrede erläutert der Geschäftsführer der Universitätsgesellschaft, Professor Frank Mücklich, die Bedeutung der Kreislaufwirtschaft: „Circular Economy – klingt gut, aber was bedeutet das konkret?“.