Universität Würzburg Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy

e you a graduate of the Faculty for Chemisty and Pharmacy and interested in sharing your experience in the work force?

We’re looking for alumni open to giving our current students tips, either in writing on our website (https://www.chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de/studium/berufsorientierung/) or in person by our semesterly Alumni-Talk event!

Interested? Message us here or send an email to [email protected]

One of our dual doctoral degree students, Suvarna Sujilkumar, was recently featured in an article in Chemistry World, in which she spoke about her experiences both at the IISER Thiruvananthapuram and JMU.

As part of the International Research Training Group (IRTG) 2991, Suvarna is one of around ten PhD students from IISER Thiruvananthapuram who are currently undertaking a binational PhD in cooperation with JMU Würzburg. A key component of the dual-degree programme is a research placement of around twelve months at the respective partner university. This enables doctoral candidates to gain international research experience and to deepen academic exchange between India and Germany.

In her career article for Chemistry World, Suvarna offers personal insights into the opportunities and challenges of undertaking a PhD at two universities and in two countries. She describes her academic and intercultural experiences as part of the programme.

You can find the article in Chemistry World: https://www.chemistryworld.com/careers/how-a-binational-phd-opens-two-doors-to-a-future-research-career/4023782.article

For more information on the Dual Doctoral Degree Programm, please visit our website: https://www.chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de/forschung/promotion/dual-doctoral-degree-programme/

Congratulations to our graduate Sarah Lutz (right) on her Bavarian High Tech Prize! She recieved her prize, which includes 2,000 Euro prize money, in a ceremony last week from Minister of Science Markus Blume (left). Sarah Lutzwas recognized for her outstanding work at the intersection of inorganic chemistry and chemical biology.

Sarah Lutz is interested in biological processes inside cells. To understand these processes, researchers use molecular “light signals”—so-called fluorescent markers. These can be incorporated into DNA and, when exposed to special light, glow depending on their immediate surroundings. This makes it possible to track what is happening in the genetic material at any given moment. The problem with existing markers is that, in certain cases, they are not sensitive enough to detect small changes in their environment. To address this, Ms. Lutz used special organic compounds known as phenalenyls and modified them with a targeted chemical trick: she incorporated the elements boron (B) and nitrogen (N) into their structure. This so-called BN doping positively alters the molecules’ optical properties—resulting in novel dyes whose interaction is expected to provide access to more precise information.

Ms. Lutz is currently furthering her research as a doctoral candidate in WG Helten. We wish her all the best for her continued success!

For more information, please see the Einblick article: https://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/aktuelles/einblick/single/news/hightechpreis-2026/

(Bild: Axel Koenig - StMWK)

Register now for our Chemistry summer school! You'll spend a full week at our faculty with lectures from real professors, tours of active research labs, chats with current students, and plenty of experiments in the lab yourself.

Check out the full programm and the registration link in our bio!

To honor the 125th anniversary of the Nobel Prize, the university put together an exhibition on the 14 winners connected to the University of Würzburg. You can find the exhibition, including information on the 6 winners from our Faculty, in our Foyer through August 7th!

This Monday we had nearly 50 students join us for a glimpse into the research taking place on our Faculty. We started the day with lectures by Prof. Dr. Matthias Lehmann, who introduced the students to the many uses of liquid crystals, and Dr. habil. Guinevere Giffin, who shared her experiences as a battery researcher. The students then got the true university experience of eating in the mensa before starting out on tours of various labs at our Faculty. Each group went on three of seven possible tours, covering AC, OC, Pharmacy, Food Chemistry, the Center for Polymers of Life, the Center for Nanosystems Chemistry and the new student lab building.

To all the students who attended, we greatly enjoyed having you! Thank you to all who made this event possible!

On Saturday we celebrated the most recent graduates of the Faculty in a celebration at the Neubaukirche. Dekan Prof. Dr. Holger Helten opened the festivities, followed by glimpses into the everyday of life on our Faculty by Prof. Ann-Christin Pöppler und student representatives from Chemistry and Pharmacy.

After honoring all the graduates, we gave special recognition to the recipients of the Faculty Awards for the best students in the Chemistry Bachelor, Master and Doctoral degrees, and the best Pharmacy state exam. The Peter Romeis Foundation prize was awarded to the best Masters graduate in Food Chemistry. Our Faculty secretary, Mrs. Ute Link, was also awarded this year's Social Engagement Prize at the event. The whole afternoon was accompanied by the Valdo Quartett. Graduates and their families then enjoyed wine and snacks in the impressive courtyard.

Congratulations to all our graduates! We're so excited to see where your paths take you and wish you all the best for your next steps, whereever these may take you.

We're taking part in this year's Türen auf mit der Maus! Students 10 years and older are invited to take a first look at the Faculty for Chemistry and Pharmacy. We'll start with a chemistry show full of little (and a couple big) chemical wonders. For a limited number of students, we're also offering an afternoon in the lab. The students will slip on lab coats and safety googles and put their chemistry knowledge to the test, solving chemistry challenges in small groups. Current students will be on hand to answer questions and help the students along.

More Information and registration is available on the Türen auf mit der Maus interactive map: https://www.wdrmaus.de/tuer_oeffner_tag/2026/index.php5?detail=734433

From November 29 to December 3, 2026, the Congress Centrum Würzburg will become the hub of the international proteomics community: The German Society for Proteomics Research (DGPF) will host the Proteomic Forum there—this year in conjunction with the 15th Annual Congress of the European Proteomics Association (EuPA). As the largest conference in its field in 2026, it will bring together around 500 researchers from 18 countries.

“Hosting both events together brings the international proteomics community together at the highest scientific level and facilitates a professional exchange on a scale that is otherwise rarely experienced,” says Professor Bettina Warscheid, first vice president of the DGPF and head of the Chair of Biochemistry II at the University of Würzburg.

For more information, see the full Einblick Article:

Würzburg wird Treffpunkt der internationalen Proteomik-Community Rund 500 Proteinforscherinnen und -forscher werden Ende 2026 in Würzburg erwartet. Hier findet das Proteomik-Forum 2026 zusammen mit dem XV. EuPA-Kongress statt. Anmeldeschluss ist der 15. September.