Max Planck Director among first research talent scouts of the Humboldt Foundation

Markus Antonietti becomes "Henriette Herz Scout"

Professor Markus Antonietti, Director of the Department of Colloid Chemistry, can from now on select three excellent international chemists for a Fellowship of the “Alexander von Humboldt Foundation” for the “Henriette Herz Scouting Program”.

The program aims to get outstanding scientists for collaboration with a research institution in Germany. "This also means that we can quickly and unbureaucratically recruit excellent young scientists for our institute who would fall through a Fellowship grid, for example, due to a socially complicated environment or a non-linear career," says Markus Antonietti. One of the conditions is that the first person a scout proposes should be a female scientist or scholar. With this Fellowship the Foundation wants to increase the number of sponsored women in the Humboldt Research Fellowship Program. "Humboldt fellows are very often the headliners of our postdoctoral programs; they change the culture of science in their home countries and are often later found in the top positions of science," says Antonietti, adding: "Over time, our institute has helped about 100 professors advance their careers. Overall, the Humboldt Fellowship Program is one of the most sustainable for promoting international collaboration."

In the inaugural round, the Humboldt Foundation selected a total number of 33 scientists as scouts, including 10 women. In the future, there are to be 40 scouts.

This program is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).