Ceremony in Stockholm: 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.

The faculty congratulates Prof. Dr. Holger Militz on this extraordinary honor!

Timetables

The timetables for the winter semester 2026/27 are online. There may still be changes in the coming days, updates to the schedules will then be uploaded accordingly.

Smart use of trees and crops brings best yield - Researchers show selecting winter or spring crops based on tree age maximises benefits in agroforestry

Cultivating crops – such as wheat, barley and rye – alongside rows of trees is a system of agroforestry that is known as “alley-cropping”. It serves many functions: in addition to enhancing ecosystems and biodiversity, it can also counteract the negative effects of growing crops in treeless open land. The advantages of alley-cropping come from the interaction between trees and crops, resulting in improved soil quality, reduced wind erosion, enhanced nutrient cycling, and climate change mitigation through increased carbon capture. However, rows of trees can create competition for resources such as water, sunlight and nutrients, which negatively affects crop yield. A research team led by the University of Göttingen has now shown that, in systems with rows of fast-growing poplar trees, choosing between winter and spring crops based on the age of the trees can cancel out competition, creating opportunities for farmers to optimise their harvests.

KNOW HOW - together against sexual violence at the University

Sexual violence is a social problem that also exists at the University. To address and prevent this, the University of Göttingen has developed an online tool to raise awareness of sexual violence. The tool focuses on videos and questions that show scenes from everyday university life and are designed to encourage reflection.

Confidante

Our confidante, Katrin Meyer, would like to introduce herself to you. She will be happy to serve as your first point of contact for problems or conflicts of any kind, offering advice and, if necessary, referring you to the responsible offices and committees, such as the ombuds office.

Alpine peatlands under pressure

Peatlands in the Alps are mostly small, scattered and difficult to access. As a result, up-to-date information on their extent and condition is often lacking. An international research team, including researchers from the University of Göttingen, has now developed a cross-border approach to identifying these particular areas. A comparison with official maps shows that the model identifies many peatlands as smaller than previously mapped – particularly in areas where aerial photographs reveal visible signs of disturbance. The findings were published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

📷Simon Drollinger

Trees: on your marks, get set, grow!

The fight for survival in the forest is fierce: light, water and nutrients are all limited. This is particularly true in “mast years” – times when trees and shrubs produce an unusually large crop of fruits, nuts, or seeds. Then the race for growth is really on. But can differences in height between trees in their first year of life make a difference to their future, even if these differences are just one or two centimetres?

📷Christina Hackmann

More press releases

Here you can find more press releases about the faculty and an archive.