Adlershof Dissertation Award 2025 goes to early-career researcher Dr Sascha Robert Gaudlitz

© WISTA Management GmbH

12.02.2026
Adlershof Dissertation Award 2025 goes to early-career researcher Dr Sascha Robert Gaudlitz

Brain City Berlin

How can we translate scientific research into practice? With the Adlershof Dissertation Award, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, WISTA Management GmbH and AGAFA annually honour three doctoral theses with a strong practical focus that have received at least a very good grade within the past 18 months. This year’s winner studied in the Brain City Berlin.

On 11 February 2026, the three nominees presented their research topics in short, accessible talks. A jury then evaluated the earlyareer researchers based on both their scientific achievements and presentation skills before announcing the winners. Each nominee receives €1,000, and the overall winner of the Adlershof Dissertation Award is awarded €3,000.

This year’s topics ranged from physics-based GaN models and statistical tools for complex systems to molecular scaffold construction using unusual molecules. All three researchers completed their doctorates in Adlershof and presented their work at the Erwin Schrödinger Centre on campus.

The Winner: Dr Sascha Gaudlitz

Dr Sascha Gaudlitz completed his doctorate in the Brain City Berlin under the supervision of Prof. Dr Markus Reiß at the Institute of Mathematics, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. His research topic: “Between Diffusion and Reaction: Statistical Tools for Complex Systems”.

In his doctoral thesis, he developed new statistical methods to reconstruct hidden dynamics in spatio-temporal systems governed by diffusive and reactive mechanisms. At the heart of his research is a quantitative analysis demonstrating how additional spatial information can improve the accuracy of reconstructing local interactions (reaction terms).

For this work, he was awarded the Adlershof Dissertation Award 2025.

Dr-Ing. Petros Beleniotis: Powering the Next Wireless Revolution

“Powering the Next Wireless Revolution – Accurate Physics-based GaN Models for Efficient Future Communication” is the title of Dr-Ing. Petros Beleniotis’s dissertation. He completed his doctorate under the supervision of Prof. Dr-Ing. Matthias Rudolph at the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut gGmbH, Leibniz Institute for High Frequency Technology, and BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, and presented his research in English.

Charge trapping in GaN transistors has a significant impact on the efficiency and performance of modern wireless communication systems. By modelling trapping effects, Dr-Ing. Petros Beleniotis’s research enables precise circuit design and enhances the performance of next-generation wireless technologies.

Dr Josefine Sprachmann: Materials for Molecular Scaffold Construction

Dr Josefine Sprachmann completed her doctorate under the supervision of Prof. Dr Oliver Dumele at the University of Cologne (formerly at the Institute of Chemistry, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin). Her dissertation is titled “Scaffold Construction with Unusual Molecules: From Non-Alternant Hydrocarbons to Functional Materials”.

Molecules are the building blocks of nature. In her doctoral research, Dr Josefine Sprachmann investigated organic molecules with unusual electronic structures, known as non-alternant hydrocarbons, as building blocks for novel materials. These materials are key to future technologies such as organic semiconductor devices, sustainable energy storage in organic batteries, and green energy generation through photocatalysis.

Research from Adlershof

A central question during the award ceremony was how research “outputs”, such as PowerPoint presentations, can be transformed into real-world impact (“outcomes”). The three researchers offered valuable insights into the practical applications of their findings.

Roland Sillmann, Managing Director of WISTA Management GmbH, cited the example of DiaMonTech AG, a Berlin-based deep-tech company founded by a doctoral graduate from Adlershof. In 2024, the start-up won the Deep Tech Award in the category “Photonics and Quantum Technologies” for its non-invasive blood glucose monitoring technology via wristband. This example demonstrates how knowledge transfer from doctoral research to company formation can succeed.

The Adlershof campus is Germany’s largest science and technology park and the third most successful of its kind in Europe. In addition to their outstanding doctoral research, the three early-career scientists impress with international career paths and experience across diverse contexts. We wish them continued success.

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