Since 1991, Technische Universität Berlin has awarded the Erwin Stephan Prize for exceptionally fast and excellent studies.
Bjarne Schulz completed his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry within only ten semesters, graduating in 2024 with the top grade of 1.0. In recognition of his outstanding academic performance and rapid progress, he was honoured on 6 October 2025 as the only master’s graduate of TU Berlin for the academic year 2024/25.
Research stays at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and the University of Edinburgh further strengthened his scientific profile and contributed to his selection. During his studies, Bjarne Schulz also supported fellow students by offering tutoring and assistance in laboratory courses.
The prize money of €2,500 supported the start of his PhD studies in Vienna.
In his doctoral research at the Institute of Organic Chemistry in the group of Nuno Maulide, he investigates how C–C bonds in medium-sized ring systems can be formed through targeted C–H activation. He exploits the transannular ring strain inherent to such structures to induce distal proton eliminations and to assemble saturated bicyclic scaffolds in a regio- and stereoconvergent manner.
In parallel, he collaborates closely with Boehringer Ingelheim on the design and synthesis of new pharmaceutical drug candidates with improved environmental profiles.
Bjarne Schulz on receiving the award: “I’m infinitely grateful to be able to do what excites me every day. And whenever things got difficult, my friends, mentors, and family were there to support me. Being able to celebrate this moment with them means even more to me than the award itself.”
- TU Berlin press release on the Erwin-Stephan-Award (09.10.2025, in German)
