For the first time, and by way of exception – in view of the outstanding research achievements in a very strong competitive field of applicants – the Bertha Benz Prize was awarded to two young female scientists in 2018. The prize was awarded on the occasion of the Bertha Benz Lecture in the Science Tower of SRH University Heidelberg on June 14, 2018.

Dr. Silvia Isabelle Budday from the Faculty of Technology of the Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg received the award for her thesis on “Mechanical aspects of cerebral development”.
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Dr. Despoina Petousi from Faculty IV – Electrical Engineering and Information of the Technical University of Berlin was likewise honored for her “Analysis of Integrated Silicon Depletion-Type Mach-Zehnder Modulators for Advanced Modulation Formats”.
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