Prof. Laura Sagunski from Goethe-University was awarded the first place of the 1822-University Prize for Excellent Teaching, with which she was honored for her passionate and innovative teaching at the Physics faculty. Being amongst 28 nominees coming from all departments of Goethe University, Laura Sagunski stood out for her new international EXPLORE student-research course, and her efforts towards equal opportunities as chair and organizer of the first WOW Physics! Women Of the World in Physics! online conference in November 2022.

As one of the ELEMENTS principal investigators, she leads the DMGW (Dark Matter, Modified Gravity and Gravitational Waves) group researching on the open questions such as the nature of dark matter by looking at possible gravitational waves signatures in neutron star or black hole binary mergers.

For 23 years now and together with the foundation of the local bank 1822 Frankfurter Sparkasse, the Goethe University honors excellent lecturers who are committed not only to innovation in teaching and having an exceptionally well connection to the students, but also to making an impact by being involved in topics like fostering diversity and equal opportunities. First place for this prestigious prize is endowed with 15,000 euros. The awarding ceremony took place on 12 June 12 2024 at Campus Westend in Frankfurt.

We congratulate Laura warmly for this extraordinary achievement!