DLR

With her project EarthGaze, Maryna Meretska has been successful in the INNOspace Masters competition 2025. She won second place in the German Space Agency at DLR Challenge in the category „projects submitted by a research consortium”. Her goal is to develop a precise, ultralight, compact, affordable and multifunctional spectroscopic imaging camera based on optical metasurfaces. Instead of employing bulky off-the-shelf optical components with limited functionality, the properties of optical metamaterials can be engineered by will. They are made of artificial atoms or meta-atoms created with the nanotechnologies that are typically used for producing electronic chips.

Frank Rhein

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin is a prominent example in blockchain technology. It depends on a decentralized digital ledger which uses “proof of work” to reach consensus. The blockchain is trustworthy, as manipulating it requires an unachievable amount of work and computing power. However, this security comes at the price of a massive electricity consumption and CO2 emissions. Frank Rhein wants to develop a 'proof of physical work' where the blockchain protocol is based on expensive physical resources and time instead of cheap electricity. The Carl Zeiss Foundation now funds his research with 1.5 million euro within its Nexus program.

Andreas Rentz/2025 Getty Images

Jingyuan Xu is one of four excellent young female scientists who will be awarded the "For Women in Science" prize in 2025 for their contributions to research. She focuses on the development of environmentally friendly cooling technologies based on the use of shape memory alloys. This innovative method enables more energy-efficient cooling and offers an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional cooling systems. The award is presented in cooperation with the German Humboldt Network under the motto "The world needs science - and science needs women".