Ceremony in Stockholm
No. 34.6 - 27.10.2026
Professor Holger Militz at Göttingen University receives Marcus Wallenberg Prize
Professor Holger Militz at the University of Göttingen has been awarded the 2026 Marcus Wallenberg Prize. This honour, from the Marcus Wallenberg Foundation for International Scientific Collaboration, recognises Militz for his ground-breaking contributions to the research and industrial application of wood modification technologies. Prince Carl Phillip of Sweden presented the award at a ceremony in Stockholm. The ceremony followed the same format as the Nobel Prize award ceremony.
Considered the world’s most prestigious research award in this area, Marcus Wallenberg Prize recognizes scientific achievements which significantly broaden knowledge and technical development in forestry and wood industries. Militz’ research themes include how the properties of wood can be adapted using specialized processes for a number of industrial requirements.
According to a statement by the Marcus Wallenberg Foundation, Militz has significantly advanced the fundamental understanding of how chemical modification processes improve wood properties across multiple hierarchical scales. His research has revealed mechanisms leading to improvements in dimensional stability and resistance to biological degradation. His research has contributed significantly to scaling up various wood modification processes to an industrial level. The result is wood products with exceptional durability and dimensional stability that remain both recyclable and non-toxic.
Dabei habe er das grundlegende Verständnis maßgeblich vorangetrieben, wie chemische Modifikationsprozesse die Eigenschaften von Holz auf verschiedenen Hierarchieebenen verbessern, so die Marcus-Wallenberg-Stiftung in ihrer Begründung. Seine Forschung führe zur Verbesserung der Dimensionsstabilität und der Widerstandsfähigkeit von Holz gegen biologischen Abbau. Sie habe maßgeblich dazu beigetragen, verschiedene Holzmodifizierungsverfahren auf industriellen Maßstab zu bringen. Das Ergebnis seien Holzprodukte mit außergewöhnlicher Haltbarkeit und Formstabilität, die gleichzeitig recycelbar und ungiftig bleiben.
Holger Militz, born in 1960, studied wood sciences at the University of Hamburg. In 1990, he earned his PhD at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. He subsequently worked for several years at the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the Foundation for Wood Research (SHR), and Wageningen University & Research (WUR). In 2000, he accepted a professorship in wood science at the Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology at the University of Göttingen.
His research focuses on wood preservation and wood infestation, as well as wood modification and wood drying. Militz is a member of numerous national and international committees. Awards include the Schweighofer Prize (2007), the Josef Umdasch Research Prize Vienna (2012), and the Ternryd Prize from Växjö University in Sweden (2016).
Contact:
Professor Holger Militz
University of Göttingen
Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology
Department of Wood Biology and Wood Products
Phone: +49 (0)551 39-23541