Four young researchers were honored on Thursday, December 4, 2025 at the University of Salzburg for their outstanding dissertations. The University of Salzburg presented its annual dissertation prizes for excellent research in the “Stuba Academica” hall.

During a celebratory ceremony four outstanding dissertations from the fields of natural sciences and humanities were awarded prizes.

The dissertation prizes are awarded annually by the Research Forum Association, which supports dedicated early-career researchers and highlights their exceptional achievements. The university leadership offered their congratulations in person: Vice Rector for Teaching and Students Michaela Rückl, Eva Jonas (Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences), Ricarda Drüeke (Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences), and Sebastian Forster (Vice Dean of the Faculty of Digital and Analytical Sciences) were all in attendance.

The Michael Breitenbach Dissertation Prize, endowed with €2,500, recognizes outstanding research in the natural and life sciences as well as in the digital and analytical sciences. It is supported by the Research Forum at the University of Salzburg in cooperation with SKM-IP PartGmbB. This year, the first prize went to Dr. Chiara Annika Jutzi. Her dissertation, entitled “Threats in the Real World,” was submitted to the Department of Psychology at the Faculty of Natural Sciences. The second prize was awarded to Dr. Tijn De Vos. He wrote his dissertation, titled “Graph Sparsification in Distributed and Dynamic Settings,” at the Department of Computer Science within the Faculty of Digital and Analytical Sciences under the supervision of Univ. Prof. Sebastian Forster.

The humanities were also a focus: The €2,000 prize, sponsored by the Research Forum at the University of Salzburg and the Rotary Club Salzburg North, was awarded to two outstanding works. Dr. Joshua Alfaro received first prize for his dissertation on the biblical Queen Esther. His work, entitled “The MT, OG, AT, VL, and Josephus Versions of Esther 4,” was written at the Department of Biblical Studies and Church History within the Faculty of Catholic Theology. Dr. Ruth Isser was awarded second prize. Her work on a Scottish princess, submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of History, is entitled “Eleanor of Scotland between Agency and Knowledge: A Princess in the Mirror of Her Time.”

“We want to showcase young talent and recognize their research,” emphasized Vice Rector Rückl at the award ceremony.