Science Fellowships: Here are our 2025 Fellows!
We are dedicated to amplifying the impact of science on the advancement of society. To achieve this, we offer six distinct fellowships designed to foster collaboration among the next generation of scientific leaders. Our four fellowships for Master's, PhD, and medical students provide exceptional opportunities for international exchange programs in key research areas: drug discovery, agricultural science, medicine, and climate and health. For 2025, out of a total of 396 applications, 62 early-career scientists and early-career professionals have been awarded fellowships, supporting them with funding for international research stays and fostering international exchange.
To inspire and engage the next generation of scientists, we also offer two fellowships for student teachers and apprentices focusing on STEM education and life sciences.
This year, we selected 62 outstanding individuals from 21 different nationalities, including 8 emerging countries. Reflecting our commitment to gender equality in science, an encouraging 56 % of our Fellows are women. In total, we granted close to 400.000 Euro in funding. The fellowship contains funding for students’ research exchanges and access to events, supporting the knowledge and interdisciplinary exchange of early career scientists.
Our fellows selection process is conducted by an independent jury of scientists consisting of Bayer employees and external professionals.
New fellowship for climate and health research
With funding from Bayer Pharmaceuticals, we included a new category of fellowship starting this year: the Climate and Health Fellowship. This fellowship supports Master's, PhD, and medical students in the fields of human or veterinary medicine, natural sciences, pharmacy, public health, or epidemiology with relevance to the impact of climate change on health, focusing on:
• The health of women and other vulnerable populations
• Cardio-Renal Health
• Neglected Tropical Diseases
• Respiratory Health
“... This generous fellowship will play a pivotal role in advancing my doctoral research and fostering international collaborations. I am committed to using this opportunity to produce research that meaningfully contributes to society and addresses pressing global challenges. I will strive to uphold the values and trust that this grant represents.”
Aarifah Jan, going to University of Greifswald
Meet our 2025 Fellows here:
Fellowship for Drug Discovery
Adeola Tejumade
From University of Ibadan, Nigeria to University of Hamburg, Germany
Project: Isolation and Characterisation of Antiinflammatory Compounds from Selected Nigerian Medicinal Plants
Ana Clara Granja
From Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil to MPI for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Germany
Project: Structure and Dynamics of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy-Linked Troponin C Mutant by NMR Spectroscopy
Athul Krishnan R
From IISER Tvm, India to Institute of Molecular Biology, Germany
Project: Engineering a linkage-specific polyubiquitination tool for targeted modulation of DNA repair
Sharujan Suthakaran
From Heidelberg University, Germany to University of Oxford, UK
Project: Identification of microbial metabolites that reverse pathogenic fibroblast states
Jakob Mäeots
From Karolinska Institutet, Sweden to EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany
Project: Visualizing subcellular RNA dynamics in human neurons and single-molecule validation
Jan Engelmann
From Helmholtz Munich, Germany to Stanford University, USA
Project: Characterizing Disease-Mediating Cell States using Single-Cell Genomics and Genetic Perturbations
Deva Krisna Kadarani
From University of Manchester, UK to LMU Munich, Germany
Project: Toward Room-Temperature-Stable Biotherapeutics: mAb Formulation with Sodium Tripolyphosphate
Jakub Jezowski
From EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
Project: Deciphering Mechanisms of Virus-Host Interactions: The Role of Mumps Viral Factories in Translation
Anastasiia Korosteleva
From EMBL Heidelberg, Germany to Stanford University, USA
Project: Spatial dissection of the CRISPR base-editing approach for the treatment of dilated cardiomyopathy
Yasra Fatima
From RWTH Aachen University, Germany to Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria
Project: Omics Data Integration for Drug Repurposing in Prostate Cancer (PCa)
Fellowship for Medical Science
Gide Duriez Zantia Songmo
From University of Yaoundé, Cameroon to Univerity of Bayreuth, Germany
Project: Fighting HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in resource-limited countries, the case of Cameroon: modellin
Oussama Laghzaoui
From Lund University, Sweden to Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Germany
Project: The Translocated Microbiome: A Key Regulator of Immune Function in HIV-Infected Patients
Meng Li
From Institute of Biomaterials University of Erlangen, Germany to University of Genoa, Italy
Project: Hemorrhage-to-Healing Transition: A Biomimetic Scaffold with Sequential Hemostatic and Regenerative
Mrinalini Gupta
From Technical University of Munich, Germany to Harvard University, USA
Project: Bioengineering cardiac conduction pathways in vitro and in silico: non-myocytes to the rescue
Sefiyat Odunola Adebiyi
From Stellenbosch University, South Africa to Technical University of Munich, Germany
Project: Spatial Transcriptomics and Integrative Multi-Omics Analysis of Human Tuberculosis Granulomas
Andreas Johannes Carlos Maskos
From LMU Munich, Germany to Stanford University School of Medicine, USA
Project: Targeting Chronic Lung Allograft Dysfunction with Drug-Loaded Biodegradable Nanofilms
Lenka Drotárová
From CEITEC Brno University of Technology, Czech Republic to Leibniz University Hannover, Germany
Project: Developing a Bone Marrow Model: 3D Cell Culture of Hematopoietic Stem Cells in a Bioengineered Model
Ela Djamila Sauerborn
From Helmholtz AI Institute Munich, Germany to EMBL-EBI, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
Project: Rapid detection of antimicrobial resistance and plasmid transmission using nanopore sequencing
Sonal Jain
From Heidelberg University, Germany to Makerere University, Uganda
Project: Verification of a portable lysis device for non-invasive detection of tuberculosis from tongue swabs
Henry Oyoyo
From University of Ibadan, Nigeria to Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
Project: Personalizing rTMS Therapy for Postoperative Motor Recovery in Glioma Patients
Julian Hubrich
From Technical University of Munich, Germany to Harvard Medical School, USA
Project: Vascular Leak Index for Pediatric Cardiac Surgery
Jana Joy Bauer
From LMU Munich, Germany to University of Cambridge, UK
Project: Using deep learning to study mRNA stability and fate
Manakan Savane
From Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany to Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania
Project: The relationship between healthcare-seeking behaviours and suffering among heart disease patients attending first echocardiography at a chronic heart and lung disease
Yannik Tillmann
From Medical faculty of LMU Munich and German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Germany to Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, USA
Project: Elucidating microglial synapse uptake and subsequent neurodegeneration in Niemann-Pick Type C disease
Quoc-Dat Dang
From Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany to Yale School of Medicine, USA
Project: Targeting the brain's lymphatic system: a sex-stratified approach to novel stroke therapies
Jonas Ibekwe
From University of Ibadan, Nigeria to German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
Project: Liquid biopsy profiling of HIV-associated lymphoma to identify drivers and novel therapeutic targets
Linda Helena Müller
From EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany to Stanford University School of Medicine, USA
Project: Enhancing pathogenicity prediction for variants in RBM20 and related proteins
Sofia Notopoulou
From Institute of Applied Biosciences, Greece to Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Germany
Project: CRISPaR: targeting Parkinson’s disease culprits in patient-derived iNSCs
Amir Hossein Akbarzadeh
From Hannover Medical School, Germany to Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry - Western University, Canada
Project: Decoding Sensory Circuitry in Autism: Microelectrode-Based Mapping of Subcortical Microcircuits
Fellowship for Agricultural Science
Jyoti Sharma
From ICAR-National Institute for Plant Biotechnology, India to University of Bonn, Germany
Project: Deciphering regulatory networks of Wide Compatibility in Brassica rapa (NRCPB Rapa 8)
Victor Diekade
From University of Ibadan, Nigeria to Max Rubner Institut (MRI), Germany
Project: Identification of genomic regions associated with resistance to aflatoxin contamination in maize
Luis Fernando Perez Hernandez
From Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico to RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Project: Effect of artificial light on metabolomics and proteomics of legumes
Marthe Paulette Guedezoume Behanzin
From University of Abomey Calavi, Benin to Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Project: Developing Machine Learning-Based Approaches to Predict Soil Fertility in Benin
Moyosore Shittu
From University of Medical Sciences Ondo City, Nigeria to University of Bonn, Germany
Project: Transcriptional Regulation of Anthocyanin Biosynthesis for Metabolic Engineering in Cassava (Manihot)
Shujian Ong
From NUS, Singapore to Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Germany
Project: Accelerated evolution of the TaCo pathway by an engineered lytic phage system in E. coli
Nishadi Neluwa Liyanage
From University of Auckland, New Zealand to Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology, Germany
Project: Molecular characterization of a kiwifruit-plant phenotype (flower abortion/retention) via RNAseq
Gift Chinonye Gbaruko
From University of Ibadan and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Nigeria to Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK), Germany
Project: Genomic Characterization and Functional Analysis of Barley Using Whole-Genome Resequencing Data
Lukas John
From University of Hohenheim, Germany to University of Adelaide, Australia
Project: Abiotic stress tolerance in the OzBarley panel: high-throughput phenotyping and genetic analysis
Katya Michelle Aguilar Perez
From King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Saudi Arabia to Kiel University, Germany
Project: Foliar Delivery of Abscisic Acid via Lipid Nanocarriers for Improved Drought Resilience in legumes
Fellowship for Climate & Health
Benjamin Dumbreck
From FAU Erlangen Nürnberg, Germany to Nekken Institute of Tropical Medicine, Japan
Project: Molecular Analysis of the “Original Antigenic Sin” of Dengue Virus
Cyrus Kimanthi
From University of Nairobi, Kenya to Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
Project: Co-Developing Climate-Resilient Maternal Health Curricula for Frontline Workers
Teresia Wamuyu Maina
From Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Germany to Pwani University, Kenya
Project: A mixed-methods Investigation of Heat Stress among Community Health Workers and Volunteers in Kenya
Dr. Subhashree Panda
From Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, India to University of Heidelberg, Germany
Project: Heat-Related Cardiovascular Vulnerability in Gujarat: A Comparative District-Level Spatial and Epid
Aarifah Jan
From Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, India to University of Greifswald, Germany
Project: Association between drought occurrence and child and women’s nutritional status in Indian Himalayas
Aashita Pargal
From Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar, India to Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Germany
Project: Assessing the Impact of Urban Heat Islands on Cognitive Development in Preschool Children
Fellowship for Student Teachers & Teachers
Stella Zimmer
From Goethe-Universität Frankfurt, Germany to Scuola Svizzera Bergamo, Italy
Karin Häußler
From Universität Freiburg, Germany to Deutsche Schule Rio de Janeiro, Escola Alema Corcovado, Brazil
Erik Bamfaste
From Bergische Universität Wuppertal, Germany to Deutsche Schule Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Sabrina Behrens
From Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany to Colegio Humboldt Deutsche Schule Puebla, Mexico
Alexandra Görzen
From Universität zu Köln, Germany to Stepping Stone School, Namibia
Oluwole Damilola
From Kant Oberschule Berlin, Germany to Deutsch Akademie, Germany
Ruth Dreyer
From Institut für deutsche Literatur, Germany to Deutsche Schule Lissabon, Portugal
Fellowship for Apprentices and Young Professionals
Caruso Giulia
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer AG, United Arab Emirates
Lilly Heckel
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer AG, Switzerland
Pascal Hientzsch
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer AG - EU Public Affairs Brussels, Belgium
Florian Ziebell
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer AG, Germany
Franz Weihs
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer AG, Spain
Linda Dolling
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer AG, Italy
Lukas Samuel Barsch
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer U.S. LLC, USA
Jonas Huth
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer Sp. z o.o., Poland
Riccardo Rohling
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer S.p.A., Italy
Sarah Leidenfrost
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer AS, Norway
Isabel Jungfermann
From Bayer AG, Germany to Bayer AG, Switzerland
