Paul-Crutzen Award
Since 2000, the GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology has awarded a prize for an outstanding scientific publication by an early-career researcher in the field of environmental chemistry and ecotoxicology. In 2011, the prize was named after Paul J. Crutzen, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995 for his work researching the ozone hole. The award is generally presented annually and comes with a certificate, prize money of 1,000 euros and one year of free membership of the Division. Since 2023, Bayer has sponsored the prize money.
Application period: January to April each year
The Paul-Crutzen Award 2025 – sponsored by Bayer AG – was presented to Dr Anna Magdalena Röhnelt on 23 September 2025 at the Divisions’ annual conference “Environment 2025”, in recognition of the publication she produced as part of her doctoral work at the University of Tübingen, entitled “Glyphosate Is a Transformation Product of a Widely Used Aminopolyphosphonate Complexing Agent” (Nature Communications 2025, 16, 2438):
"In her publication, Ms Röhnelt examined the environmental behaviour of aminopolyphosphonates (APPs), which are widely used as complexing agents in industry and private households. The low biodegradability of APPs means that, despite partial removal through sorption onto sewage sludge, they remain in wastewater at considerable residual concentrations after treatment in wastewater treatment plants. In her highly comprehensive study, Ms Röhnelt investigated the mechanisms, kinetics and products of the transformation of APPs in the presence of manganese minerals. In addition to the impressive characterisation of the complex transformation processes, one outstanding discovery was undoubtedly the detection of glyphosate as a stable transformation product. These findings lend plausibility to recent reports indicating that municipal wastewater may be a previously unrecognised source of glyphosate in European surface waters."
The Paul-Crutzen Award – endowed by Bayer AG – was shared in 2024 and presented to Alexandra Loll and Dr. Anja F.R.M. Ramsperger on 9 September 2024 on the occasion of the Divisions’ annual conference “Environment 2024”.
Alexandra Loll: In recognition of the publication produced as part of her Master’s thesis at the Fraunhofer IME in Schmallenberg, entitled “Short-Term Test for Toxicogenomic Analysis of Ecotoxic Modes of Action in Lemna minor” (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 56, 11504-11515). The aquatic plant Lemna minor is the model organism most frequently used in standard ecotoxicological tests for the regulatory environmental risk assessment of substances prior to their market approval. Although the tests detect toxic effects in the plant, they do not allow any conclusions to be drawn about the precise toxic mode of action. As part of her Master’s thesis, Ms Loll developed a method for the rapid assessment and differentiation of modes of action in L. minor by combining an abbreviated growth inhibition test with transcriptomics and proteomics. Since L. minor had previously been little studied at the genomic level, the bioinformatic analysis of the complex transcriptomic and proteomic data represents a particular achievement. The work is being honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it makes a significant contribution to facilitating the environmental hazard assessment of substances and, in the future, could make costly and animal-testing-intensive higher-tier tests unnecessary, for example.
Dr. Anja F.R.M. Ramsperger: Awarded in recognition of the publication produced as part of her doctoral thesis at the University of Bayreuth, entitled “Nominally identical microplastic models differ greatly in their particle-cell interactions” (Nature Communications 2024, 15, article number: 922). The environmental impact of microplastics is also a focus of public attention. In addition to pathways of entry and accumulation in environmental compartments, possible negative effects on organisms and ultimately on human health are increasingly coming into focus. An important factor in risk assessment is the interaction with, and subsequent uptake of, microplastics by cells. This is where Ms Ramsperger’s innovative work comes in, examining surface properties in relation to microplastic–cell interactions. She demonstrated for the first time that nominally identical particles from different commercial sources differ considerably in their surface properties, explaining the differing results in corresponding studies on the effects of microplastics. This work is being honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because, through a highly interdisciplinary study, Ms Ramsperger has made a significant contribution to advancing microplastics research, particularly with regard to environmental impacts.
The Paul-Crutzen Award - endowed by Bayer AG - was divided in 2023 and presented to Dr. Carolin Seller-Brison and Dr. Florian Ungeheuer at the Divisions’ Annual Conference “Environment 2023”.
Dr. Carolin Seller-Brison: "Awarded in recognition of the publication produced as part of her doctoral thesis at the University of Zurich and Eawag, entitled “Do biotransformation data from laboratory experiments reflect micropollutant degradation in a large river basin?” (Water Research 2023, 235, 119908). The use of simulation studies in accordance with OECD guidelines is a widespread procedure in the risk assessment and approval of chemicals. In the aforementioned paper, Carolin Seller describes the extent to which laboratory-measured test results accurately reflect actual behaviour in the environment. To this end, she combined monitoring data from the Rhine catchment area with both inverse modelling and laboratory-based degradation and distribution studies for more than 25 water-relevant pollutants. This work is honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it not only permits highly relevant conclusions regarding the comparability of laboratory studies with behaviour in the real environment, but also provides an enormous quantity of high-quality data – both on the degradation of pollutants in laboratory experiments and in the Rhine catchment area, and on the use of a wide range of experimental, analytical and model-based techniques."
Dr. Florian Ungeheuer: "Awarded in recognition of the publication produced as part of his doctoral thesis at Goethe University Frankfurt, entitled: "Nucleation of jet engine oil vapours is a large source of aviation-related ultrafine particles” (Communications Earth & Environment 2022, 3, 319). Airports are a major source of airborne particles and can therefore impair air quality and human health. In the aforementioned paper, Florian Ungeheuer shows that lubricating oils from aircraft engines account for a significant proportion of such particles and can be detected down to a size of 10-18 nanometres. In addition, through mechanistic investigations, he demonstrates that these lubricating oils can make a decisive contribution to the formation of such ultrafine particles. This work is honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it impressively demonstrates how the occurrence of synthetic lubricating oils in ultrafine aerosol particles could be conclusively attributed to emissions from aircraft engines through a carefully considered combination of laboratory and field experiments, as well as physical and chemical analytical methods. Furthermore, the quantification of the substances and the mechanistic investigations make it possible to derive implications for future mitigation measures."
The Paul-Crutzen Award was shared in 2022 and presented to Dr Steffen Breinlinger and Dr Jennifer Susanne Strehse on the occasion of the Divisions’ annual conference “Umwelt 2022”.
Dr Dipl.-Pharm. Steffen Breinlinger: "Awarded in recognition of the publication entitled “Hunting the eagle killer: A cyanobacterial neurotoxin causes vacuolar myelinopathy” (Science 2021, 371, 1335-1343). With this work, Dr Breinlinger succeeded in identifying a new cyanobacterial toxin as the “eagle killer’s poison” – hence the name of the toxin, aetokthonotoxin – which is produced by a cyanobacterium growing on the invasive aquatic plant Hydrilla verticillata. Dr Breinlinger was able to show that toxin production depends on the availability of bromide, which is accumulated by the host plant. This work is being honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because Dr Breinlinger achieved the identification of the toxin in an impressive manner by combining a wide range of methods and techniques, including HPLC-HRMS, preparative separation techniques, structural elucidation, imaging mass spectrometry, cultivation experiments with cyanobacteria, and the development and use of a C. elegans assay. In doing so, he contributed to solving a decades-old mystery and to a better understanding of complex ecotoxicological problems".
Dr Jennifer Susanne Strehse: "Awarded in recognition of the publication entitled “The explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) induces gene expression of carbonyl reductase in the blue mussel (Mytilus spp.) – A new promising biomarker for sea-dumped World War relicts?” (Archives of Toxicology 2020, 94, 4043-4054). The release of chemicals from old munitions in the North and Baltic Seas is causing growing concern among experts. Particular attention is being paid to trinitrotoluene, better known by its abbreviation TNT. Suitable detection methods are needed for the risk management of explosive-related compounds. In her outstanding work, Dr Strehse developed a specific molecular biomarker in blue mussels that can be used to detect exposure of these filter feeders to TNT. This work is being honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because Dr Strehse impressively linked interdisciplinary findings from the fields of environmental monitoring, ecotoxicology, analytical science, genetics and bioinformatics, and combined the results of intensive laboratory work and field experiments. The result is a relevant building block for monitoring and the Management of munitions in the sea, helping to reduce the risk of damage to the environment or human health – a problem that will continue to concern us worldwide for a long time to come."
The award was presented at the Divisions’ annual conference “Environment 2021” to Dr. Alexander Maximilian Voigt in recognition of his publication, produced in the working group of Dr. Harald Färber at Bonn University Hospital, on the subject: “Association between antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in anthropogenic wastewater – An evaluation of clinical influences”
Chemosphere 2020, 241, 125032
In this paper, Dr. Voigt, together with his co-authors, describes the relationship between the sources of antibiotic residues and the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. For this purpose, antibiotic-resistant bacteria were cultivated, identified and characterised in the laboratory, and analysed for antibiotic resistance genes. In municipal wastewater samples, he demonstrated a relationship between the concentration of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the proximity to clinical wastewater contaminated with antibiotics. To prevent the further spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in wastewater, he proposes direct, decentralised wastewater treatment for clinical wastewater.
The publication is honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it combines chemical, biological and statistical analyses and presents an approach to minimising the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The award was presented at the 2019 Environmental Conference in Landau to Dr. Sigrid Richter-Brockmann for the publication "Analysis and toxicity of 59 PAH in petrogenic and pyrogenic environmental samples including dibenzopyrenes, 7Hbenzo[c] fluorene, 5-methylchrysene and 1-methylpyrene" (Chemosphere 2018, 200, 495-503).
In the paper, Sigrid Richter-Brockmann describes analytical results for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in various matrices. The study considers not only the 16 EPA PAHs that are usually measured, but also other toxicologically relevant substances in this class of compounds. The measurement data obtained using this analytical approach make a significant contribution to a better understanding of the variation in the composition of different PAHs in samples of diverse origins and, consequently, of the potential hazard posed by the samples to human health and the environment. These assessments indicate that routine analysis of the 16 EPA PAHs is insufficient, as other PAHs, despite their lower concentrations, contribute to the potential hazard in the majority of cases.
The work was honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it uniquely combines the analysis of PAHs in various matrices with their potential hazard, makes an important contribution to the way PAH contamination will be assessed in future, and contributes to the development of appropriate risk management measures.
The award was presented at the Umwelt 2018 Conference in Münster to Dr. Anika Pohlabeln for the paper “Experimental Evidence for Abiotic Sulfurization of Marine Dissolved Organic Matter” (Front. Mar. Sci 2017, 4, 364).
In this paper, Dr. Anika Pohlabeln and her co-authors describe the results of laboratory experiments on the mechanism, products and extent of the abiotic formation of sulphur-containing organic material under reducing conditions such as those encountered on the seabed. Through laboratory experiments combined with analysis of the products using ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry (FTICR-MS), Dr Pohlabeln succeeded in demonstrating the abiotic formation of a wide range of organosulphur molecules in sediments under reducing conditions and in establishing the high similarity between these products and those found in natural environments. Initial estimates indicate that the abiotic formation of organosulphur compounds could be a quantitatively relevant process in the sulphur cycle.
The work is being honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it brings a previously little-studied process for the formation of organically bound sulphur in the sea into focus and provides an incentive for further investigations of this potentially significant source of such material in the global sulphur cycle.
The award was presented to Dr. Martin Brüggemann on the occasion of the Young Environmental Scientists Forum, held from 19–21 June 2017 in Münster, in recognition of his publication "Real-time detection of highly oxidized organosulfates and BSOA marker compounds during the F-BEACh 2014 field study" (Atmos. Chem. Phys. 2017, 17, 1453–1469)
In this paper, Dr. Martin Brüggemann describes a unique combination of complementary mass spectrometric methods, both online and offline, for the chemical characterisation of organic aerosol components. Dr. Brüggemann played a key role in the development of one of the online measurement techniques used, AeroFAPA-MS. The measurement data obtained with the help of these complementary analytical approaches make a significant contribution to a better understanding of the chemical processes that lead to the formation of so-called secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the atmosphere.
The paper is being honoured with the Paul-Crutzen Award because it impressively demonstrates how a well-considered combination of different analytical methods can make even complex environmental chemical processes with highly dynamic temporal behaviour transparent.
The prize was awarded as part of the Conference "Many substances – great risk? How relevant are (trace) substances for humans and the environment" (5–8 September 2016 in Tübingen) to Dr. Tushar Rastogi (Institute of Sustainable Chemistry and Environmental Chemistry at Leuphana University Lüneburg) for the publication "Re-Designing of Existing Pharmaceuticals for Environmental Biodegradability: A Tiered Approach with β-Blocker Propranolol as an Example" (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2015, 49, 11756–11763).
As part of the "International Conference on Chemistry and the Environment (ICCE)" Conference in Dresden, Dr. Sebastian Scheinhardt (Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research; TROPOS) was awarded the 2015 Paul-Crutzen Award for his publication on the effects of climate change on air quality, "Comprehensive chemical characterisation of size-segregated PM10 in Dresden and estimation of changes due to global warming" (Atmos. Env. 2013, 75, 365–373).
At the 6th Joint Conference of SETAC GLB and the GDCh Division of environmental chemistry & ecotoxicology, held from 7–10 September 2014 in Gießen and Homberg (Ohm) on the topic “Exploring fundamentals, applying findings, communicating knowledge”, the Division Chair Prof. Andreas Schäffer presented the Division Award to Thorsten Hüffer for his publication “How redox conditions and irradiation affect sorption of PAHs by dispersed fullerenes (nC60)” (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2013, 43, 6935-6942).
At the SETAC-GLB/GDCh FG Conference “City, Countryside, River: Ecotoxicology in Urban Areas”, held in Essen from 23–26 September 2013, the FG Chair Prof. Andreas Schäffer presented the Division Award to Christoph Moschet for his publication “Multi-Level Approach for the Integrated Assessment of Polar Organic Micropollutants in an International Lake Catchment: The Example of Lake Constance” (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2013, 47, 7028–7036).
Moschet presented an innovative and comprehensive concept for recording and assessing the contamination of water bodies with organic micropollutants, using Lake Constance as an example. First, he analysed the water of Lake Constance for anthropogenic organic trace substances using LC-HRMS. In a second step, he determined the pollution hotspots in the tributaries of Lake Constance for these substances with the aid of an enhanced GIS-based catchment model. In particular, the model-based predictions of the future development of concentrations in the lake as well as the calculation of the impact of reduction measures, such as upgrading wastewater treatment plants with fourth-stage treatment, demonstrate the practical relevance of his work.
At the Joint Annual Conference of SETAC-GLB and the GDCh Division of environmental chemistry & ecotoxicology at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig from 10–13 September 2012, the Division Chair Prof. Andreas Schäffer presented the award to the scientist from Japan, Manabu Shiraiwa , for his publication "The role of long-lived reactive oxygen intermediates in the reaction of ozone with aerosol particles" (Nature Chem. 2011, 3, 291–295)
In his work, Shiraiwa gained important insights into the interactions of ozone and other gases with aerosol particles in the atmosphere. The chemical mechanisms he elucidated are of great importance for understanding the properties of atmospheric aerosols and reactive species that influence the global climate and human health. The work encompasses complex laboratory experiments as well as quantum-mechanical and reaction-kinetic model calculations, which help to assess the toxicity and allergenic potential of soot, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrated protein macromolecules.
At the EuCheMS International Conference on Chemistry in the Environment (ICCE) 2011 in Zurich, which was co-organised by the GDCh Division Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology, the Division Chair Prof. Dr. A. Schäffer presented the Division’s publication award, which was shared this time:
Dr. Karolina Nowak received the award for her paper "Formation of bound residues from microbial biomass during 2,4-D degradation in soil" (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45, 999-1006). In her study, Ms Nowak combined laboratory experiments with labelled substrates and analysis using isotope mass spectrometry in a complex and highly intelligent manner. This enabled her to track, with temporal resolution, the fate of an environmental chemical during and after microbial degradation, its incorporation into biomass and, following the death of the biomass, its incorporation into the soil’s organic material. Ms Nowak thus made a significant contribution to research into the formation and dynamics of so-called bound residues.
Dr. Andreas Kretschmann was awarded the prize for his publication "Toxicokinetic Model Describing Bioconcentration and Biotransformation of Diazinon in Daphnia magna" (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2011, 45, 4995-5002). In this study on the toxicokinetics of an insecticide in Daphnia magna, Mr Kretschmann combined the key areas of contaminant uptake, transformation and ecotoxicological effects in an exemplary manner. He presented the results of a methodologically demanding and compelling combination of experimental biological work, modern chemical analysis and the development of a toxicodynamic model. Mr Kretschmann thereby underscored the importance of quantitative results and kinetic aspects in environmental chemistry and ecotoxicological research.
At the annual meeting of the GDCh Division of Environmental Chemistry & Ecotoxicology "Umwelt 2010" in Dessau, the Division Chair Prof. G. Lammel presented the Division’s publication prize, which was shared and awarded to the following people:
Dr. Marianne Matzke for her publication "Ionic liquids in soils: Effects of different anion species of imidazolium based ionic liquids on wheat (Triticum aestivum) as affected by different clay minerals and clay concentrations" (Ecotoxicology 2009, 18, 197-203). In her work, Marianne Matzke investigated how certain chemicals, known as ionic liquids, affect the growth of wheat, while simultaneously varying the composition of the soil in which the plants grew.
Dr. Annekatrin Dreyer for her publication "Polyfluorinated compounds in the atmosphere of the atlantic and southern oceans: Evidence for a global distribution" (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009, 43, 6507-6514). As part of her DBU doctoral scholarship, Annekatrin Dreyer investigated the global transport of certain pollutants, known as polyfluorinated organic compounds (PFCs), through the atmosphere into the environment.
For the first time, the Division Award was announced in 2009 as a publication-only award. A three-member jury consisting of Professors Eisenträger, Matthies and Püttmann had the difficult task of selecting the best paper.
In the end, the jury’s vote clearly went to Michael C. Dodd and his publication "Oxidation of Antibacterial Compounds by Ozone and Hydroxyl Radical: Elimination of Biological Activity during Aqueous Ozonation Processes" (Environ. Sci. Technol. 2009, 43, 2498-504). As Professor Eisenträger emphasised in his laudatory speech, this paper on the oxidation of antibacterial compounds by ozone and hydroxyl radicals clearly stood out from a large number of excellent papers.
| Year | awardee | Affiliation* |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Dr. Anna Magdalena Röhnelt | Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen |
| 2024 | Alexandra Loll | Fraunhofer IME, Schmallenberg |
| 2024 | Dr. Anja F. R. M. Ramsperger | University of Bayreuth |
| 2023 | Dr. Carolin Seller-Brison | University of Zurich and Eawag, CH |
| 2023 | Dr. Florian Ungeheuer | Goethe University Frankfurt |
| 2022 | Dr. Steffen Breinlinger | Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen/Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg |
| 2022 | Dr. Jennifer Susanne Strehse | Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel |
| 2021 | Dr. Alexander Maximilian Voigt | University Hospital Bonn |
| 2019 | Dr. Sigrid Richter-Brockmann | University of Münster |
| 2018 | Dr. Anika Pohlabeln | University of Oldenburg |
| 2017 | Dr. Martin Brüggemann | Université de Lyon |
| 2016 | Dr. Tushar Rastogi | LEUPHANA University of Lüneburg |
| 2015 | Dr. Sebastian Scheinhardt | University of Leipzig |
| 2014 | Dr. Thorsten Hüffer | University of Vienna, AT |
| 2013 | Christoph Moschet | Dübendorf, CH |
| 2012 | Dr. Manabu Shiraiwa | |
| 2011 | Dr. Karolina Nowak | UFZ Leipzig |
| 2011 | Dr. Andreas Kretschmann | EAWAG, Zurich, CH |
| 2010 | Dr. Annekatrin Dreyer | |
| 2010 | Dr. Marianne Matzke | |
| 2009 | Dr. Michael Dodd | New Haven, CT/USA |
| 2007 | Dr. Doris Völker | UFZ Leipzig |
| 2006 | Dipl.-Geoökol. Sandra Russold | UFZ Leipzig |
| 2003 | Dr. Marco Eissen | ETH Zurich, CH |
| 2001 | Dr. Katja Riedel | Hamburg |
| 2000 | Andreas Beyer | Osnabrück |
*at the time of the award