Former doctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology receives KlarText Award 2025
Dr Christin Nyhoegen was awarded the 2025 KlarText Prize for Science Communication in the category of Mathematics on 13 November in Heidelberg.
Christin completed her doctorate at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology (MPI EvolBio) in Plön and at Kiel University (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel). Her research focused on mathematical models for treating bacterial infections in which multiple antibiotics are combined or alternated. The aim is to better understand the emergence of resistance – and to make therapies more effective in the long term.
In her award-winning article “Penicillin and a Small Dose of Mathematics”, Christin vividly explains how equations and simulations can help improve medical decision-making. In doing so, she achieves something rare in research: she connects complex theoretical concepts with tangible relevance – and shows why mathematics is so crucial in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
“Through the important interplay of experiments, studies and mathematical modelling, therapies can be improved, and mathematics contributes to saving lives,” Christin said at the award ceremony in Heidelberg. “Through my work in science communication, I can show that mathematics is neither dry nor distant, but exciting and applied – and that even convinces pupils who normally dislike maths!”
The KlarText Prize of the Klaus Tschira Foundation honours researchers each year who explain their doctoral thesis in an accessible and engaging way – thereby making an important contribution to science communication.
For the institute in Plön, the award is also a meaningful signal: “We are delighted about Christin’s success – she is exemplary of a new generation of scientists who combine research and communication with great passion,” says Prof Dr Arne Traulsen, Director of the Department of Theoretical Biology and Managing Director at MPI EvolBio.
About the researcher
Dr Christin Nyhoegen completed her PhD in the Research Group for Stochastic Evolutionary Dynamics at the MPI EvolBio, supervised by Dr Hildegard Uecker. Her work combines theoretical modelling with medical applications, making an important contribution to our understanding of resistance dynamics.
About the prize
The KlarText Prize has been awarded by the Klaus Tschira Foundation since 2002 and is endowed with €7,500. Its aim is to make excellent research visible and understandable to the public.