As part of our Global Call and search for the Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2023, we invited leading actors in science and academia worldwide to nominate the latest breakthroughs and outstanding science projects in 9 different categories, Social Sciences & Humanities being one of them. Our distinguished jury for Social Sciences & Humanities, chaired by Björn Wittrock, selected 10 excellent winners in this category. One of them will be awarded with the prestigious title Science Breakthrough of the Year, Social Sciences & Humanities. 

MEET OUR social sciences & Humanities WINNERS

You can discover the 10 winners in Social Sciences & Humanities 2023 below. To see the winners in each category, click here, to see the finalists in each category, click here.

ARLINE GERONIMUS – UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Breaking the Wall to Population Health Equity
Arline T. Geronimus introduced an alternative model based on the weathering theory to guide how we understand health inequity.

BEATRIZ MAGALONI – STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall of Police Brutality
Beatriz Magaloni’s work highlights the factors that cause brutal policing practices in democratic societies and identifies institutional solutions.

ILONA MAGDALENA OTTO – UNIVERSITY OF GRAZ

Breaking the Wall of Climate Inaction
Ilona Otto proposed systemic solutions that help rewire our societies, change human resource and energy use patterns, and decrease the pressure on climate and natural systems.

JONATHAN BIRCH – LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

Breaking the Wall to a Science of Animal Sentience
Jonathan Birch addresses the fundamental question of how we should treat invertebrates laying the foundations for a systematic and fully integrated science of animal sentience.

LAURA MARTIN – WILLIAMS COLLEGE

Breaking the Wall to Ecological Restoration
Laura Martin frames biodiversity restoration as a mode of collaboration with other species and shows how even in this era of rapid climate change, it is possible to manage for and design wildness.

LOUISE AMOORE – DURHAM UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall to Ethical Societies in the Age of Algorithms
Louise Amoore provides the rethinking of practical intervention in machine learning models that are urgently required to keep pace with the penetration of society by algorithmic systems.

MATTHIAS BRAUN – UNIVERSITY OF BONN

Breaking the Wall to Bodily Integrity in the Digital Age
Matthias Braun tackles the question of how we can think, understand, and protect bodily integrity in dealing with new technologies.

NITA FARAHANY – DUKE UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall to Thinking Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology
Nita Farahany’s work addresses the protection of cognitive liberty in a world that is rapidly heading toward brain transparency, allowing us to track and hack our own brains but bars us from trespassing on other minds.

PAUL BEHRENS – LEIDEN UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall to Rethinking our Food System
Paul Behrens demonstrates why a transformation of our food system is essential to combat climate change and explains what role dietary changes in high-income countries play in this process.

PUMLA DINEO GQOLA – NELSON MANDELA UNIVERSITY

Breaking the Wall of the Female Fear Factory
Explaining how gender and fear intersect in public spaces, Pumla Gqola’s “Female Fear Factory” is a theatrical and public performance of patriarchal policing of and violence towards women and others cast/read as female.

 

The Global Call 2023 has ended on 15 May 2023, the next Global Call will take place in 2024. You will find all relevant information and updates here and in our newsletter.

Falling Walls seeks internationally recognised, established academics and leaders in the study of the institutions and functioning of human society and of the interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of society (e.g. politics, economics, philosophy), whose groundbreaking work contributes towards solving the world’s biggest challenges.

RELEVANT INFORMATION

Please find below everything you need to know about your Falling Walls Global Call submission in the Social Sciences & Humanities category. We recommend that you read all the information carefully. We look forward to your nominations.

WHAT IS THE FALLING WALLS GLOBAL CALL?

The Falling Walls Global Call is an international competition format that brings together science enthusiasts from diverse backgrounds. We are looking for the most recent and innovative Breakthroughs of the Year! We encourage and invite nominations and applications from all over the world. To help make the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023 the celebration that excellent science deserves, we launch the Falling Walls Global Call each year.

 

Nominations open 1 March and close 15 May 2023 (extended from 1 May).

WHO CAN NOMINATE?

Nominations for the Science Breakthrough of the Year may be initiated by leading academics and academic institutions, universities, research organizations, companies, private and public research centres, academies, research funders, foundations, and individuals to nominate the latest breakthroughs in Social Sciences & Humanities. Self-nominations are accepted. 

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via email. We are happy to help.

Who can be nominated?

In the Social Sciences & Humanities category, we are looking for internationally recognised, established academics and leaders in the study of the institutions and functioning of human society and of the interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of society (e.g. politics, economics, philosophy), whose groundbreaking work contributes towards solving the world’s biggest challenges.

We are looking for individual scientists as well as research groups of outstanding quality who

 

  • have made excellent, ground-breaking, recent achievements in their respective fields, nationally and internationally, and who stand out for their innovative strength;
  • promise to have a significant long-term impact on the research landscape and to contribute towards solving global challenges, such as having a positive effect on nature and humanity, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals;
  • translate scientific topics and their complexities in a way that makes them accessible and attractive to large sections of society.

 

Nominations will be considered and evaluated within the category, but their potential for interdisciplinary problem-solving will also be assessed.

HOW CAN I SUBMIT MY OWN PROJECT?

Self-nominations are accepted. To submit your own project, please run through the nomination process on our online platform. You will receive an email to confirm your nomination in order to give detailed information on your project.

 

Please note that submissions must be completed in English.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU?

  • Your work will be presented to a distinguished Jury and will get international visibility.
  • Be a part of the Falling Walls network and interact with a wide range of decision-makers, innovators and emerging talents from all over the world. Join an interdisciplinary community that is committed to bringing down barriers to address common challenges.
  • If chosen as one of the 10 winners in Social Sciences & Humanities, you will have the opportunity to participate in the Social Sciences & Humanities Symposium at the Falling Walls Science Summit on 8 November 2023. Get the opportunity to enjoy the Falling Walls Science Summit 2023, a three-day conference with inspiring keynotes, discussions, and exciting pitches. Be part of a community of the most important researchers and thinkers of our time and discuss breakthroughs with global leaders in science, politics, business, and the media.
  • Take your chance to become the Falling Walls Science Breakthroughs of the Year in Social Sciences & Humanities and present your breakthrough work to a global audience on 9 November 2023 on our stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

We will use our expertise and years of experience in science communication to help make your research accessible and engaging to a wide audience, and to highlight its impact on society.

HOW DOES THE SELECTION PROCESS WORK?

STEP 1 – NOMINATION

Leading actors in science and academia worldwide nominate individual scientists or research groups by submitting a nomination form via our online platform by 15 May 2023. Nominated candidates will be contacted directly and asked to submit further details. Self-nomination is accepted.

 

STEP 2 – 30 FINALISTS

Submissions that meet the standard requirements will be evaluated by a shortlisting jury and the jury chair using our selection criteria (see below) to agree on a list of 30 finalists, who will be officially announced on our website in mid-June. 

 

STEP 3 – 10 WINNERS

Our distinguished jury for Social Sciences & Humanities, chaired by Björn Wittrock, will evaluate all finalist applications based on the selection criteria and choose ten winners. The ten winners will be released in mid-August.

 

STEP 4  THE FALLING WALLS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH OF THE YEAR

The respective juries will select the Science Breakthroughs of the Year from the winners of each category. On 9 November, the anniversary of the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall, the Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2023 will take up the stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

WHAT ARE THE SELECTION CRITERIA?

We are specifically looking for projects that address global challenges and represent scientific knowledge in an innovative way. Falling Walls always encourages interdisciplinary approaches to science and seeks outstanding scientists as well as research groups. The four selection criteria are:

  • Breakthrough Potential: How much of a paradigm shift does the research represent? Are there excellent, ground-breaking, recent achievements in their respective fields, nationally and internationally?
  • Level of Innovation: How new and original is this idea?
  • Societal Relevance: How significant is the research for society today and in the future? Is there a positive effect on nature and humanity, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals?
  • Academic Excellence: Is the research of outstanding quality and is it likely to have a significant long-term impact on the research landscape and to contribute towards solving global challenges? Is the research able to translate scientific topics and their complexities in a way that makes them accessible and attractive to large sections of society?

Each evaluation criterion is considered proportionally. Nominations and Self-nominations will be considered and evaluated within the category, but their potential for interdisciplinary problem-solving will also be assessed.

WHEN AND WHERE DOES THE FALLING WALLS SCIENCE SUMMIT TAKE PLACE?

The Falling Walls Science Summit takes place in Berlin.

Save the date: 7 – 9 November 2023.

 

7 November

FALLING WALLS PITCHES

A day of live pitches in the following categories: 

  • Emerging Talents (Falling Walls Lab) for the next generation of outstanding innovators; 
  • Science Engagement (Falling Walls Engage) for inspiring science engagers; Science Start-Ups (Falling Walls Venture) for the science start-up community.

8 November

FALLING WALLS CIRCLE

Our format to connect science and society. Researchers, policymakers, business leaders, and society discuss the biggest challenges we face and the foresight that scientific breakthroughs can offer.

9 November 

BREAKTHROUGH DAY

On 9 November, the anniversary of the peaceful fall of the Berlin Wall, the Science Breakthroughs of the Year 2023 will take up the stage at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin.

QUESTIONS?

If you have any questions about the Nomination and the Self-nomination process, please contact us via email.

Terms and Conditions

Falling Walls Winner Interviews 2023

This year, we invited our Falling Walls Winners to expand on their research through a series of four in-depth interview questions. Take a deep dive into these great minds at the forefront of innovation as they aspire to claim the title of Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023 in the Social Sciences & Humanities category!

JURY 2023

Counting more than 100 jurors across 10 categories, each Breakthrough is determined by a distinguished world-class jury under the leadership of renowned experts in their respective fields. The Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2023 in Social Sciences & Humanities is selected by a distinguished Jury chaired by  Björn Wittrock.

 

PREVIOUS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGHS 

The prestigious title Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year, Social Sciences & Humanities has been awarded to Sunil Amrith (2022), Dilip Menon (2021) and Margaret Levi (2020).

The FALLING WALLS SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH of the year 2022 in SOCIAL SCIENCES & HUMANITIES

UNDERSTANDING HISTORY OF MIGRATION: BREAKING THE WALL TO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Sunil Amrith is the Renu and Anand Dhawan Professor of History at Yale University. His work puts global migration at the heart of environmental history, bridging those two fields in new ways.

Discover the 2022 Winners 

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