Division Award
The Division of Analytical Chemistry of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) recognises outstanding independent achievements by dedicated and talented scientists at the start of their scientific careers with the Division of Analytical Chemistry Award. The award is generally presented every two years at ANAKON and comprises a certificate and prize money of 2,000 euros. All members of the Division may nominate candidates. The Board of the Division decides who receives the award.
Award for Early Career Scientists in Analytical Chemistry
Submission deadline: 31 October 2026
Purpose
The Division of Analytical Chemistry of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) generally presents the Analytical Chemistry Division Award every two years at ANAKON, to recognise, support and motivate early career scientists. The award is presented for outstanding and independent scientific achievements by dedicated and talented scientists in analytical chemistry, as demonstrated by publications in analytical journals, contributions at analytical conferences and awards.
The award
The award consists of a certificate, prize money of 2,000 euros and an invitation to the next ANAKON, scheduled to take place in Mainz from 5 to 8 April 2027. Following the award ceremony, the awardee will have the opportunity to present their award-winning research in a short talk. The Division Board decides who receives the award.
Nomination/application
The selection criteria are outstanding scientific achievements in analytical chemistry during the doctorate and in subsequent research (postdoctoral work at a university, research institution or in industry), as well as completing studies within a short period. Changing research topic and working environment (e.g. a period abroad) are also viewed favourably. All members of the GDCh Division of Analytical Chemistry are eligible to nominate candidates. Self-nominations are also accepted; in this case, a letter of support from a Division member is required. All nominations must include the following documents:
Submission
Please send your nominations by email, combined into a single PDF file to the GDCh Office, for the attention of Maike Fries.
The Division Award in Analytical Chemistry was presented to Dr Anika Retzmann on 12 March 2025 at ANAKON in Leipzig: "in recognition of her outstanding and pioneering research in the field of elemental and precise isotope analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. By optimising and developing new methods, particularly in the area of separation techniques for purifying different isotope systems, Dr Retzmann made important contributions to the advancement of isotope analysis – especially in the automation of separation techniques used to isolate the strontium, neodymium and lead isotope systems in a single run and prepare them for analysis by multicollector ICP-MS. This made it possible to process large sample sets at a high throughput for the first time. She also developed new methods for the precise analysis of stable calcium isotopes at low calcium concentrations in biological samples, based on double-spike thermal ionisation MS, to investigate medical and clinical questions. Dr Retzmann has published numerous high-ranking papers in the leading journals in the field. The funding and awards she has already received underline the quality and relevance of her research."
The Analytische Chemie Division Award was presented to Prof. Dr. Nicole Strittmatter on 12 April 2023 at ANAKON in Vienna "in recognition of her outstanding, original and pioneering research in the field of imaging mass spectrometry. Through her impressive instrumental and methodological work on rapid evaporative ionisation mass spectrometry, Professor Strittmatter was able to distinguish bacteria based on their spectral fingerprints. Her developments in the field of imaging using desorption electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry have led to entirely new applications in pharmacy, among other areas, by increasing sample throughput and sample stability. In addition, Professor Strittmatter developed imaging methods for mass cytometry to determine the distribution of drugs in dendrimer nanoparticles using a new metal labelling technique. Her highly interdisciplinary work with numerous collaborators has been published in many leading analytical chemistry and life sciences journals and is regularly cited."
The Division Award of the Division of Analytical Chemistry was presented to Ass.-Prof. Dr. David Clases on 23 June 2022 at the analytica conference 2022 "in recognition of his outstanding, original and forward-looking research in the field of single-cell and single-nanoparticle analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Professor Clases has made significant contributions through the optimisation of instruments and methods, and, in particular, through the development and improvement of software tools for analysing the large volumes of data, substantially advancing the current state of research in single-particle and single-cell analysis. Professor Clases has also developed powerful new analytical methods in the fields of elemental speciation analysis and elemental bioimaging, and applied these to current questions in biomedicine and environmental science. His work has been published in numerous papers in leading journals in our field."
Presentation of the Division prize by Dr. Joachim Richert (left), Chair of the GDCh Division of Analytical Chemistry, to Dr. Björn Meermann (right). The award was presented as part of ANAKON 2019 in Münster.
Photo: University of Münster
| Year | Awardee, location* |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Dr. Anika Retzmann, Calgary, CA |
| 2023 | Prof. Dr. Nicole Strittmatter, Munich |
| 2022 | Ass.-Prof. Dr. David Clases, Graz, AT |
| 2019 | Dr. Björn Meermann, Koblenz |
| 2017 | Prof. Dr. Kevin Pagel, Berlin |
| 2015 | Dr. Romana Schirhagl, Groningen, NL |
| 2013 | Dr. Carolin Huhn, Jülich |
| 2011 | Dr. Nina Käppel, Ludwigshafen |
| 2009 | Dr. Carsten Engelhard, Bloomington, US |
| 2007 2007 | Dr. Heiko Hayen, Dortmund Dr. Thomas Letzel, Munich |
| 2005 | Dr. Christian Temme, Geesthacht, NL |
| 2003 2003 | Dr. Mag. Herbert Franz Oberacher, Saarbrücken Dr. Oliver Trapp, Tübingen |
| 2001 2001 | Dr. Steffen Friedrich, Dresden Dr. Ulrich Engel, Frankfurt |
*at the time of the award