Awarded Researchers
Prof. Dr Ralf Gold – Sobek Research Prize
The Sobek Research Prize, worth 100,000 euros, was awarded to Prof. Ralf Gold for his research work on multiple sclerosis (MS). The prize, endowed by the Renningen-based Roman, Marga, and Mareille Sobek Foundation, is one of the highest honours granted for MS research and the most valuable within Europe for research in this field.
Prof. Gold is Director of the Neurological Clinic of Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) at St Josef’s Hospital and a member of the Medical Advisory Board of the Federal Association of the German Multiple Sclerosis Society (Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft, DMSG). The prize was given to “a scientist who is known and highly respected, both nationally and internationally, not only for his pioneering studies in terms of basic MS research, but also in particular for his practical research into MS therapies”, according to the statement of reasons.
Prof. Dr Lars Steinsträßer – ACS Fellow
Prof. Lars Steinsträßer (Heisenberg Professor for Molecular Oncology and Wound Healing at the Bergmannsheil University Hospital) was nominated as a Fellow of the renowned surgical society, the American College of Surgeons (ACS).
The fellowship is the highest-ranking membership category the society is able to bestow and sets high standards in terms of the clinical and research profile of fellowship nominees. Prof. Steinsträßer is the first RUB surgeon entitled to use the abbreviation FACS (Fellow of the American College of Surgeons) after his name. He is one of only ten Fellows in all of Germany in the field of plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Prof. Dr Shaun Gallagher – Anneliese Maier Research Prize
For his international research studies in philosophy and cognitive science, American philosopher Prof. Shaun Gallagher received the Anneliese Maier Research Prize from the Humboldt Foundation. The prize fund of 250,000 euros will help Gallagher to finance joint research at the newly established RUB Center for Mind, Brain and Cognitive Evolution.
The first time Shaun Gallagher came to Bochum was as a guest in 2007. Since then, he has been a regular participant in RUB philosophy conferences – at the invitation of his colleague Prof. Albert Newen – and is a member of the Academic Advisory Board of the Center for Mind, Brain and Cognitive Evolution. Gallagher combines philosophical phenomenology with methods from cognitive science, thus building a bridge between the two disciplines. With his “embodiment” approach, which focuses on the relevance of the body for perception and cognition, Gallagher has also established a new school of thought. The Anneliese Maier Prize has been awarded in honour of Gallagher’s research achievements in collaboration with his German colleagues.
