Prof. Spitschan Receives DGPs Award for Science Communication

Making research accessible and engaging is an important prerequisite for bringing scientific findings into society and inspiring people to take an interest in research topics. Each year, the German Psychological Society (DGPs) presents its Science Communication Award to projects that communicate research findings in innovative ways and promote dialogue between science and society.

In 2026, the award goes to Prof. Dr. Manuel Spitschan, Head of the Assistant Professorship of Chronobiology & Health, together with Dr. Marie Luise Schreiter from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics. The award ceremony took place on September 7, 2026, as part of the DGPs Congress in Luxembourg.

“I am very pleased to receive this award because it highlights what science communication can achieve. In our approach, it is important to us not only to communicate research in an accessible way, but also to make it tangible and to actively involve people in the research process. For us, science communication is particularly successful when people not only learn about research, but can also experience for themselves how scientific knowledge is generated. It was especially rewarding to see how great the interest in people’s own internal clocks was and how many people were willing to actively participate,” says Prof. Spitschan, expressing his appreciation for the recognition.

The award recognizes the science roadshow “Night Owl or Early Bird? – A Science Roadshow on the Body’s Internal Clock,” which was supported by the Max Planck Foundation. The project communicates current findings on the biological clock and combines science communication with participatory research. Visitors gain insights into research on chronotypes and can take part in scientific studies themselves through citizen science activities.

The jury particularly praised the successful combination of knowledge transfer and active public participation in research processes. The mobile research laboratory reaches a broad audience in an accessible way and enables direct exchange with researchers. Through individualized feedback on the data collected, participants experience firsthand how scientific findings are generated and gain insights into the significance of chronobiology for health and everyday life.

The German Psychological Society (DGPs) presents its Science Communication Award to researchers who have made an outstanding contribution to communicating psychological research in an accessible and understandable way. The award recognizes projects that demonstrate the empirical nature of psychology, promote the transfer of scientific findings, and strengthen dialogue between research and society. The project was funded by the Max Planck Foundation with the support of private funding.

To the Homepage of the Rudolf Mössbauer Assistant Professorship of Chronobiology & Health
To the Homepage of the Translational Sensory and Circadian Neuroscience Unit (MPS/TUM/TUMCREATE)
To the press release
To the roadshow page: Night Owl or Early Bird?

Contact

Prof. Dr. Manuel Spitschan
Rudolf Mössbauer Assistant Professorship of Chronobiology & Health
Am Olympiacampus 11
80809 Munich

Tel.: +49 89 289 24544
Email: manuel.spitschan(at)tum.de

Text: Bastian Daneyko
Photos: Eric Devillet/DGPs