Celebrating Excellence in Doctoral Supervision — The First FAU Award for Doctoral Supervision
Celebrating Excellence in Doctoral Supervision — The First FAU Award for Doctoral Supervision
place: the FAU Award for Doctoral Supervision was handed out for the
very first time.
The perfect setting for this premiere was the university-wide capping
ceremony— an annual celebration for our fresh doctoral graduates as
well as those marking significant doctoral anniversaries. In this festive
atmosphere, four professors from across the faculties were honoured for
their outstanding commitment to the supervision of doctoral researchers:
- Faculty of Medicine: PD Dr. rer. nat. Dr. habil. med. Philipp Arnold
- Faculty of Natural Science: Prof. Dr. Jutta Eichler
- Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Theology: Prof. Dr.
Peter Gelius - Faculty of Engineering: Prof. Dr. Lutz Schröder
The ceremony was as personal as it was prestigious: the deans or pro-
deans of the faculties held heartfelt eulogies for the awardees, drawing
on reasons provided by us — your Doctoral Researchers’
Representatives— after a careful selection process earlier this year.
Hearing these eulogies brought to life the many ways great supervision
can make the doctoral journey not only academically successful but also
personally enriching.
How the award came to be — and your role in it
This new award was created to highlight and celebrate the often unseen
excellence in doctoral supervision at FAU. As your representatives, we
launched a university-wide campaign for nominations, read through
inspiring submissions, and discussed each case in detail before voting on
every faculty’s awardee.
But here’s the thing: we can only select from the nominations we receive.
That means the heart of this award is the doctoral community itself.
Without your stories, your appreciation, and your willingness to highlight
supervisors who go above and beyond, this recognition wouldn’t exist.
Looking ahead — nominations for 2026 open!
We want to make this award a lasting tradition — and ideally one that
includes all five faculties of FAU every year. So if you complete your
doctoral degree following a journey with a supervisor who:
- supports doctoral researchers with expertise and empathy,
- fosters independence while providing valuable guidance,
- stands up for fair working conditions,
- and helps build a positive and inclusive research culture —
you automatically upon the completion of your doctorate and nominate
your supervisor!
Your nomination could be the reason a deserving supervisor is recognised
in front of the entire university community next July.
Because great supervision doesn’t just shape dissertations — it shapes
researchers, careers, and lives.
All photographs: FAU/Iannicelli