Dr. Christoph Höchsmann, postdoctoral researcher at the Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health, has been awarded a Research Fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The fellowship begins on 1 April 2022 and runs for two years.
The fellowships and awards of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation have great prestige nationally and internationally - alongside programs of the German Research Foundation (DFG), such as the Emmy Noether Program, the research fellowship is one of the most prestigious sponsorships a postdoctoral researcher can receive in Germany. Accordingly, award winners are often appointed to professorships. Furthermore, all fellows are accepted into the Foundation's alumni program as "Humboldtians" and can thus build up further career support and cooperation among themselves.
"The fellowship is a great success for me, which is why I was naturally very pleased when I received the acceptance letter. As is the case with many third-party funds, only a fraction of applicants ultimately receive the grant," says the graduate sports scientist. "Personal qualifications are also a decisive factor in the selection of Humboldt Fellows, which is why the fellowship is definitely a recognition of my research and achievements to date."
The Humboldt Research Fellowship is aimed at researchers with doctorates and above-average qualifications from all nations and disciplines and supports post-doctoral researchers as well as experienced researchers in their research projects in Germany. In addition to the scholarship amount, researchers also receive personal support during the funding period.
"The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation fellowship is intended for people from abroad," explains Dr Höchsmann. "I originally come from near Düsseldorf. But since I spent my studies, my doctorate and all other previous professional stations abroad, I was able to apply for it."
Before moving to TU Munich, Dr. Höchsmann was a postdoctoral researcher at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana/USA.
"Pennington is the largest and one of the most renowned obesity research centres in the world," explains Prof. Dr. Karsten Köhler, Head of the Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health. "For example, three centres of excellence of the National Institutes of Health are located there alone - roughly comparable to a collaborative research centre of the DFG. In our field of research, it is an absolutely renowned institution, so we are also very happy to be able to attract Dr. Höchsmann."
Over the next two years, Dr. Höchsmann, who completed his doctorate at the University of Basel in 2018 with top marks, will devote himself to the topic area of technology-based exercise promotion and nutrition research. His research interests include addressing physical activity and unhealthy eating behaviours through individualized, technology-based and behavioural lifestyle interventions, and exploring the relationship between physical activity and energy intake and their joint and individual influence on energy balance, metabolism and health.
"My team and I are particularly pleased for Dr. Höchsmann that he has been awarded such a prestigious scholarship," says Prof Köhler. "At the same time, it shows that our working group with the topics of exercise and nutrition is highly attractive for ambitious young scientists from Germany and abroad. I am sure that my staff - but also the students of the Department of Sport and Health Sciences - can learn a lot from Dr. Höchsmann and will benefit from this highly innovative project."
To the homepage of the Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Karsten Köhler
Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24488
e-mail: karsten.koehler(at)tum.de
Dr. Christoph Höchsmann
Assistant Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
e-mail: christoph.hoechsmann(at)tum.de
Text: Romy Schwaiger
Photos: privat