Press release: Award for sociologist at Göttingen University
No. 135 - 08.10.2026
Professor Claudia Neu receives the BMLEH’s highest honour: Professor-Niklas-Medaille
Professor of Sociology of Rural Areas, Claudia Neu at Göttingen University, has been awarded the Professor-Niklas-Medaille by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity (BMLEH). The prize is the BMLEH’s highest honour and Neu is one of this year’s four recipients. Alois Rainer – Germany’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Community – presented the awards on Tuesday 6 October at a ceremony in Berlin.
In their statement, the BMLEH described Neu as an internationally recognised expert on issues relating to rural areas, particularly in the fields of democracy, voluntary work, public services, and social communities. As Chair of the Expert Council on Rural Development, she advised the Ministry, highlighted key cross-cutting and structural issues, and raised awareness of the immense challenges facing rural areas.
Neu has held the Chair of Sociology of Rural Areas at the Universities of Göttingen and Kassel since 2016. Her research focuses on the structural barriers faced by rural areas and the social conditions in agriculture, on farms, and in rural communities. As co-author of the study “Frauen.Leben.Landwirtschaft” (Women.Life.Agriculture), commissioned by the BMLEH, she presented the first study on the living and working conditions of women on farms in Germany.
Contact:
Professor Claudia Neu
University of Göttingen
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development
37073 Göttingen, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)551 39-24818