Theodor Kocher Prize

Once a year, the University of Bern honours its best early-career researchers with the "Theodor Kocher Prize". The prize, which is an award of CHF 50,000, is conferred for outstanding and innovative scientific achievement in any faculty or field. The field in which the candidate works can be intra- or interdisciplinary.

Candidates are nominated to the awarding commission by two recognized researchers, one of whom must be a professor at the University of Bern. The achievement to be honoured should be mainly that of the candidate and should preferably have been carried out at the University of Bern. Please see the call text for details of the nomination procedure.

We are pleased to invite you to the public lecture of the 2024 winner of the Theodor Kocher Prize.

This will take place in German on:
Monday, 12 May 2025 from 16:15
in the Kuppelsaal, main building of the university (5th floor)
After the event, the audience is invited to a reception.

Dr. Lukas Fesenfeld

Positive tipping points for climate protection

On the occasion of being awarded the 2024 Theodor Kocher Prize, Dr. Lukas Fesenfeld will give a lecture at the University of Bern on positive tipping points for climate protection. In his lecture, he will show how technological innovation, social change and political measures can reinforce each other and accelerate sustainable transformations. Using empirical examples in the food, transport and energy systems, he will discuss how strategic climate policy can be designed to harness such self-reinforcing feedback effects and achieve climate targets despite rising polarization.