Four Jena Researchers Elected to the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig

Prof. Dr Johannes Grave, Prof. Dr Martin Kümmel, Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel, and Prof. Dr Birgit Weber Collage: Jens Meyer, Jan-Peter Kasper, Anna Schroll, Anne Günther
Prof. Dr Johannes Grave, Prof. Dr Martin Kümmel, Prof. Dr Kirsten Küsel, and Prof. Dr Birgit Weber Collage: Jens Meyer, Jan-Peter Kasper, Anna Schroll, Anne Günther

At its spring meeting on 10 April 2026, the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig elected four researchers from the University of Jena as new members: Johannes Grave, Martin Joachim Kümmel, Kirsten Küsel and Birgit Weber. While Grave, Kümmel and Weber were admitted as full members, Küsel was elected as a corresponding member.

This recognition highlights the breadth and excellence of research at the University of Jena—and is particularly significant for the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse", as its spokesperson, Kirsten Küsel, is among those honoured.

Küsel’s research operates at the interface of microbial ecology and hydrobiogeochemistry. She investigates microbial communities in soils, aquatic systems and the deep subsurface, with a focus on their roles in biogeochemical cycles and their responses to environmental change. She has been a professor in Jena since 2004 and has served as spokesperson of the Cluster of Excellence "Balance of the Microverse" since 2022. In 2025, she was also elected to the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

The newly elected members represent a wide range of disciplines: Johannes Grave (Modern Art History), Martin Joachim Kümmel (Indo-European Studies) and Birgit Weber (Inorganic Chemistry). Their election underlines the interdisciplinary strength of research in Jena.

Founded in 1846, the Saxon Academy of Sciences in Leipzig is one of Germany’s long-established scholarly societies and serves as a platform for interdisciplinary academic exchange. Election to the Academy is considered a distinguished academic honour.