On November 22, 2025, the Faculty of Science held a formal farewell ceremony for its graduates. Nearly 500 guests, including 100 of the 205 graduates, accepted the invitation. On behalf of the Executive Board of the University, the Vice President for Transfer and Sustainability, Prof. Dr. René Fahr, congratulated the graduates on successfully completing their studies or doctorates.
The dean, Prof. Dr. Wolf Gero Schmidt, gave a brief overview of the faculty's current developments and referred, among other things, to numerous honors received by faculty members, such as the election of Prof. Sabine Fechner as spokesperson for the board of the Society for Didactics of Chemistry & Physics and the election of Prof. Anette Buyken as vice president of the German Nutrition Society. He presented a selection of newly acquired third-party funded projects, such as “Quantum dot-based quantum computer demonstrators” (Prof. Klaus Jöns) and “Gel matrix-based synthesis of porous metal oxide microstructures as catalysts in microflow reactors” (Prof. Michael Tiemann and Prof. Dirk Kuckling), and referred to numerous high-ranking publications from the past year, including those from the working groups of Prof. Dirk Reuter, Prof. Matthias Bauer, Prof. Claus Reinsberger, and Prof. Jochen Baumeister. He also reported on the handover and occupancy of the “Photonic Quantum Systems Laboratory” (PhoQS Lab) at a total cost of €82.7 million, jointly funded by the state and the university and supported by the federal government, and in this context praised the outstanding achievements of Prof. Christine Silberhorn.
The dean also looked back on numerous successful events over the past year and, looking to the future, identified attracting talented and committed students as a key task for the faculty. At the end of his remarks, he invited everyone to the traditional Christmas lecture in chemistry on December 11 in the Audimax.
This year's graduate contributions were themed “We react – We move – We inspire.” Miriam Reese from the Department of Chemistry, Robin Wall from the Department of Physics, and Christina Hein and Anna Nienaber from the Department of Exercise & Health provided vivid insights into their time as students. Impressive experiments from chemistry and physics attracted attention, as did a video clip from the last StuDance show, which impressively conveyed the diversity of sports.
During the certificate award ceremony, Prof. Dr. Jan Paradies presented the faculty prize for outstanding master's theses. This year, Lars Schulze-Frielinghaus, Niklas Lamberty, Clemens Marcinek, and Henning Stuckenhoff were honored for their excellent achievements.
The chemistry prizes, which were presented by Dr. Oliver Seewald on behalf of the association of former members and active friends of Paderborn chemistry, went to Clemens Marcinek, Alina Marie Peter, Lukas Sven Spallek, and—in absentia—Robert Salewski.
The celebration was accompanied by music from the a cappella choir “Ungefähr 8.” After the official ceremony, all graduates were invited to a reception in the foyer of the Audimax with their families and friends. The offer from UPB Alumni—the central alumni network of the University of Paderborn—to take photos with graduates in their gowns was gladly accepted.
