The award, endowed with € 3,000, was presented at a ceremony at Humboldt University in Berlin on October 24, 2025. This is the first time that the prestigious award has gone to Osnabrück University.
The jury particularly recognized Thomas Neise's research contribution to the economic geographic understanding of risks as well as his internationally recognized research achievements in the multifaceted study of Indonesia's regional development and Hazard research.
"The award is a great honor for me, and I thank the jury for recognizing my achievements with the prize. At the same time, the award is an incentive for me to incorporate risk considerations even more strongly into economic geography," explained Dr. Neise at the award ceremony.
The jury also highlighted his great commitment to promoting young national and international geographers as well as his voluntary work in the Association for Geography at German-speaking Universities and Research Institutions (VGDH) and the German Association for Applied Geography (DVAG). "As a geographer, it is very important to me not only to present our discipline to research and teaching, but also to disseminate findings to society," says Dr. Neise.
The Frithjof Voss Foundation awards the Science Prize for Human Geography to researchers up to the age of 40 on the basis of their scientific work to date. The prize recognizes outstanding, forward-looking achievements that have significantly advanced the progress of human geography and strengthened its reputation. Prof. Dr. Martin Franz, Head of the Institute of Geography at Osnabrück University, comments: "The fact that the most prestigious prize for human geography is going to Osnabrück this year naturally makes us very proud. Thomas Neise has earned this with his truly exceptional achievements."
"I would like to thank the Institute of Geography at Osnabrück University, which has created a great working environment for me in recent years and thus contributed to my award from the Frithjof Voss Foundation," concluded Dr. Thomas Neise.
Personal details:
Dr. Thomas Neise has been a research associate at the Institute of Geography at Osnabrück University since 2020. He received his doctorate from the University of Cologne. From 2023 to 2025, he held a deputy professorship at the University of Heidelberg. His research focuses on geographical resilience and risk research, globalization research and research on adaptation to climate impacts and extreme weather events with a regional focus on Germany and Southeast Asia.
Further information for the media:
Prof. Dr. Martin Franz, Osnabrück University
Institute of Geography
E-mail: martin.franz@uni-osnabrueck.de
