Through its Leibniz Junior Research Groups funding programme, the Leibniz Association offers talented young scientists attractive research conditions: scientific independence, competitive facilities and excellent networking opportunities.

The programme is aimed at postdoctoral researchers with an excellent track record who are keen to take on a professorship or similar academic role. As leaders of a Leibniz-Junior Research Group, they are given the opportunity to pursue their own research projects and establish themselves in their respective fields.

Researchers from anywhere in the world who completed their doctorate no more than five years ago are eligible to apply (please refer to our FAQs).

The researchers funded in this programme are brought together for networking and training events in the Best Minds network. Participation in the Leibniz Leadership Academy is planned for successful candidates.

You can find our FAQs here.

Here you will find information on projects funded in the Leibniz Competition. You can access information on the Leibniz Junior Research Groups by selecting the appropriate funding programme filter.

You will find information on the application procedure here.

  1. Overview

    Currently funded Leibniz Junior Research Groups

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Funded Leibniz-Junior Research Groups (ongoing projects)

Completed projects can be found below under Alumni

  1. Prof. Martina Artmann

    Prof. Martina Artmann

    Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER)

    Urban human-nature resonance for sustainability transformation | Project start 2020

    The project focuses on the development and testing of the concept of urban human-nature resonance for sustainability transformation. The work focuses on the individual level (urban residents), collective actors (urban planning) and urban human-food relationships.

    Website

  2. Dr Nikolai Badenhoop

    Dr Nikolai Badenhoop

    Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE

    Sustainable Finance Law in Europe - Navigating between Regulation, Contractual Practice, Litigation, and Regulatory Competition | Project start 2024

    The project investigates financial products in Europe that are marketed as “sustainable” between regulation, contractual practice, litigation, and regulatory competition. It analyses the sustainability promises of funds and bonds and asks how greenwashing can be prevented.

    Website

  3. Dr. Sanja Bauer-Mikulovic

    Dr Sanja Bauer-Mikulovic

    Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN)

    Neural Mechanisms and Environmental Modifiers of Empathy and Prosocial Behaviour | Project start 2023

    This project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive and emotional aspects of prosocial behavior in mice, examine the environmental factors influencing this behavior, and explore its translational possibilities to humans.

    Website

  4. Dr. Mozes Blom

    Dr Mozes Blom

    Museum für Naturkunde - Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science (MfN)

    A bird's eye view: Modeling population responses to long-term climate and recent anthropogenic change using historical genomes | Project start 2024

    The aim of the project is to enhance the integration of museum collections and genomics in biodiversity research. Using historical genomes, we investigate how environmental change has altered populations in the past and then predict how populations may cope with similar challenges in the future.

    Website

  5. Dr. Patricio Farrell

    Dr Patricio Farrell

    Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS)

    Numerics for innovative semiconductor devices | Project start 2020

    The project investigates mathematically innovative semiconductor devices through modeling, simulation and numerical analysis. Our applications include perovskite solar cells, nanowires, memristors, crystal growth, random fluctuations in quantum wells and accurate lasers used in self-driving cars.

    Website

  6. Dr. Moritz Haarig

    Dr Moritz Haarig

    Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS)

    Optical Lab for Lidar Applications | Project start 2023

    The aim of the project is the development of a realistic size/shape parameterization of mineral dust needed to interpret global observations with active remote sensing. We will construct a new laboratory to measure the polarization properties of size-selected natural dust samples at 180° backscatter.

    Website

  7. Prof. Dr. Benedikt Jahnel

    Prof. Benedikt Jahnel

    Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS)

    Probabilistic Methods for Dynamic Communication Networks | Project start 2021

    The project investigates device-to-device systems with respect to connectivity improvements with the help of dynamic continuum percolation theory, data routing via large-deviations theory for space-time point processes, and malware propagation using interacting particle systems on random graphs.

    Website

  8. Dr. Antje Jantsch

    Dr Antje Jantsch

    Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies (IAMO)

    Rural well-being in transition: multidimensional drivers and effects on (im)mobility | Project start 2022

    The project aims to develop a well-being index and adapt it to rural regions in Germany and Southeast Europe. By incorporating the concept of place attachment, it seeks to understand better the factors influencing the staying of people left behind and the quality of life in these regions.

    Website

  9. Dr. Murukarthick Jayakodi

    Dr Murukarthick Jayakodi

    Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK)

    Breaking the limits in faba bean (Vicia faba L.) research: improving its nutritional value for reduced dependence on imported protein and promoting eco-friendly farming in Europe | Project start 2022

    The project aims at activating plant genetic resources to develop a genomic breeder’s toolkit for faba bean (Vicia faba L.), a grain legume adapted to temperate climates and a promising candidate for the European protein crop.

    Website

  10. Dr. Melanie Köhler

    Dr Melanie Köhler

    Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB)

    Mouthfeel - How texture makes flavor: Probing and manipulating nanobiophysical properties of mouthfeel in flavor perception | Project start 2022

    The project investigates mechanisms of mouthfeel and its contribution in food flavor perception at cellular and molecular levels using biophysical approaches. This knowledge helps modifying food composition to develop healthier products while maintaining sensory qualities and consumer acceptance.

    Website

  11. Dr. Rachel Lippert

    Dr Rachel Lippert

    German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke (DIfE)

    Broad Adaptations to Brain Connectivity due to Maternal Influences on Neurocircuits caused by Diet | Project start 2021

    The aim of the project is to decipher the role of the melanocortin system in the brain. Probing the melanocortin system will open news avenues of understanding of the intricacies of the development and function of neurocircuits involved in energy balance, behavior and response to energetic changes.

    Website

  12. Dr. Caroline Mezger

    Dr Caroline Mezger

    Leibniz Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ)

    “Man hört, man spricht”: Informal Communication and Information “From Below” in Nazi Europe | Project start 2019

    The project’s aim is to establish an innovative cultural history of communication in the Third Reich and its occupied territories. Focusing on informal communicative practices, INFOCOM explores sense-making and agency in conditions of war, dictatorship, and altered informational landscapes.

    Website

  13. Dr. Lisa Oestereich

    Dr Lisa Oestereich

    Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)

    Pathological host responses to Lassa virus infection - from mice to man | Project start 2019

    The project investigates the role of antigen-presenting cells and T cells in Lassa Fever pathogenesis. We study the kinetics and phenotypes of these immune cells in mouse models and explore whether observed differences correlate with the clinical disease course and outcome in human Lassa Fever.

    Website

  14. Dr. Till Omansen

    Dr Till Omansen

    Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM)

    Neuropathology of Lassa fever NEULA | Project start 2021

    Website

  15. Dr. Marcel Pawlowski

    Dr Marcel Pawlowski

    Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP)

    Cosmic Choreographies: Studying Systems of Satellite Galaxies and Their Phase-Space Correlations | Project start 2021

    The project investigates the distribution and motion of satellite dwarf galaxies around more massive hosts, both within and beyond the Local Group. Special emphasis is put on comparisons to cosmological expectations, based on numerical simulations of structure formation.

    Website

  16. Dr. Daniel Schick

    Dr Daniel Schick

    Max-Born-Institute for Nonlinear Optics and Short Pulse Spectroscopy (MBI)

    Following Complex Spin Structures in Time and Space | Project start 2023

    The aim of the project is to study light-induced spin dynamics on the relevant pico- to femtosecond time scales in technologically relevant nanostructures. We resolve the resulting transient magnetization profiles by resonant scattering techniques at our unique laser-driven soft-X-ray sources.

    Website

  17. Dr. Wladimir Sgibnev

    Dr Wladimir Sgibnev

    Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography (IfL)

    Contentious Mobilities: rethinking mobility transitions through a decolonial lens | Project start 2020

    The project investigates the contentious character of mobility transitions, and the underlying conflictual experiences of modernisation, digitalisation and globalisation, looking into consequences and adverse effects, local-to-global, core-to-periphery dynamics, and their everyday negotiations.

    Website

  18. Dr. Abdoulaye Sounaye

    Dr Abdoulaye Sounaye

    Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO)

    Religion, Morality and Boko in West Africa: Students Training for a Good Life | Project start 2018

    The aim of the project is to understand the ways in which religiosity affects secular education in West Africa. It investigates how students that seek a degree that would ensure them a better life, resort to religion. We focus on four universities in Niger, Nigeria, Togo; and Bénin.

    Website

  19. Dr. Madlen Stange

    Dr Madlen Stange

    Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB)

    Hybrid swarm evolution of native and invasive Phoxinus spp. to the river Sieg, Germany | Project start 2021

    The project aims to holistically investigate human-induced hybridisations of native and non-native Eurasian minnows in the river Sieg (North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany). The project investigates morphological, genetic, and ecological differences between hybrids and the parental minnow species.

    Website

  20. Dr. Hiroki Tanaka

    Dr Hiroki Tanaka

    Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung (IKZ)

    Photonics with ultra-pure fluoride crystals | Project start 2024

    The project aims to overcome material-based technological bottlenecks in photonics using ultra-pure fluoride single crystals. The unique multidisciplinary research approach involving materials science and optical science promises to unlock new frontiers in photonics research.

    Website

  21. Dr. Anastasiya Tönjes

    Dr Anastasiya Tönjes

    Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering (IWT)

    Additive manufacturing of graded structures from iron-based shape memory alloys | Project start 2022

    The aim of the project is the local modification of the shape memory effect of additively manufactured FeMnSiCr-alloys. For this purpose, the composition and microstructure of the initial alloy are adapted by means of suspension-based in-situ alloying and process parameter variations.

    Website

  22. Prof. Dr. Louis Veyrat

    Prof. Louis Veyrat

    Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW)

    2D Heterostructures for fermionic and bosonic topological phases | Project start 2021

    Website

  23. Dr. Rainer Weinberger

    Dr Rainer Weinberger

    Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP)

    Modeling multiphase media in and around galaxies in a cosmological context | Project start 2023

    The project investiages how gas in and around galaxies is driving the host galaxies’ further evolution. Using novel computational techniques, the group develops large-scale simulations to unveil the cosmic growth history of galaxies into the state we can observe today.

    Website

Alumni of the Leibniz-Junior Research Groups
  1. Dr. Sofia Amaral

    Dr Sofia Amaral

    ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich

    The Economics of Violence Against Women: Understanding Causes and Identifying Remedies | 2019

    The project tested solutions to address violence against women and girls. The aim was to form partnerships with governments and non-governmental agencies to determine the causal effects of policies against violence and to quantify the impact of violence on women’s economic empowerment.

    Read more

  2. [Translate to english:] Dr. Sami Domisch

    Dr Sami Domisch

    Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB)

    Global freshwater biodiversity, biogeography and conservation | 2019

    The aim of the project was a better understanding of spatial freshwater biodiversity. We studied the distribution patterns of species and their habitats by collating species records globally, and by developing a high-resolution hydrographical network and freshwater-specific processing tools.

    Website

  3.  Dr. Milica Feldt

    Dr Milica Feldt

    Leibniz Institute for Catalysis e.V. (LIKAT)

    Computational Study of Iron-Oxo Complexes: Reactivity of (Artificial) Metalloenzymes and Biomimetic Complexes | Project start 2022

    Website

  4. Dr Catherine Fischer

    Leibniz Institute for Solar Physics (KIS)

    QUiet-sun Event STatistics | 2018

    The project aimed to characterise quiet-Sun small-scale magnetic field events. We utilized spatially and temporally diverse data sets and applied a statistical analysis to study the evolution of events such as magnetic flux emergence and cancellation and their effects on the higher solar atmosphere.

    Read more

  5. [Translate to english:] Dr. Franziska Hanschen

    Dr Franziska Hanschen

    Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ)

    Optimization of Glucosinolate Degradation Pathways for Increased Quality and Health Benefit of Brassica Products | 2018

    The project investigated how the enzymatic hydrolysis of glucosinolates to cancer-preventive isothiocyanates can be improved in Brassica vegetables. Further, the effect of plant constituents on thermally induced degradation reactions and the formation of follow-up products was investigated.

    Website

  6. [Translate to english:] Dr. Oleg Janson

    Dr Oleg Janson

    Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW)

    Correlated materials from first principles: solving the nexus of charge, orbital and spin | 2019

    The project focused on describing experimentally studied correlated materials from first principles. By applying advanced numerical techniques, we provided insights into the interplay of charge, orbital, and spin degrees of freedom that shapes unique electronic properties of these materials.

    Website

  7. Prof. Dr. Jana Maria Kleibert

    Prof. Jana Maria Kleibert

    Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space (IRS)

    Constructing Transnational Spaces of Higher Education: International Branch Campus Development at the Interface of Network and Territorial Embeddedness | Project start 2018

    Website

  8. Prof. Dr. Tobias Tobias

    Prof. Tobias Lenz

    German Institute for Global and Area Studies / Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien (GIGA)

    Sources and Consequences of Legitimation Strategies of Regional Organizations | Project start 2018

    The project investigated the legitimation of regional organizations (ROs) around the world. It studied how RO representatives justify an organization’s right to rule in the public realm and why justifications may change over time and vary across organizations.

    Website

  9. [Translate to english:] Prof. Dr. Marlit Annalena Lindner

    Prof. Marlit Annalena Lindner

    Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education (IPN)

    Cognition and Motivation in Educational Testing | 2019

    The project investigated the effects of typical design features of digital learning and testing environments (e.g., computer-based feedback, multimedia elements) in experimental studies. The aim of the project was to contribute to the empirically based design of effective digital media in education.

    Website

  10. Dr. Michael Melzer

    Dr Michael Melzer

    Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW)

    Compliant Magnetosensory Systems: Enabling magnetic functionalities for e-skins, soft robots and healthcare| 2018

    The aim of the project was to develop flexible and stretchable magnetoelectronics, that was pioneered at the institute before, towards specific applications. The basic sensing elements are optimized and combined with compliant electronics to obtain imperceptible magnetic sensing systems.

  11. Dr. Matthias Prigge

    Dr Matthias Prigge

    Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN)

    Shedding light on plasticity of monoaminergic circuits in the brain | 2018

    The project aimed to decipher the dynamics of noradrenaline release. We developed non-invasive optical and electrical stimulation methods to replicate noradrenaline's natural release patterns accurately. Our goal was to improve cognitive performance in both healthy and diseased individuals.

    Read more

  12. Prof. Dr. Kevin Thurley

    Prof. Kevin Thurley

    German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin (DRFZ)

    Prediction of T cell communication and differentiation dynamics by quantitative mathematical modelingn | 2018

    The project investigated the regulation of immune responses by mathematical modelling and data analysis. The team developed methods for predicting the communication and differentiation dynamics of immune cells and estabished data-driven models of T cell dynamics in chronic inflammation.

Contact
Dr Anja Görnitz
Deputy Head of Division Leibniz Competition Procedure
Leibniz Association
Chausseestraße 111
10115 Berlin
T +49 30 206049 335
goernitz@leibniz-gemeinschaft.de