Sonja Jähnig

Biodegradable plastics have existed for several years now and have been marketed as a means to fight the global plastic waste crisis. But even in the best cases, the process of degrading this plastic can be incredibly slow. It would take a typical water bottle 2-3 years to biodegrade in…

HOW ELECTORAL PSYCHOLOGY ENLIGHTENS DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP What do citizens think about when they stand in the polling booth? In spite of the latest technological innovations in electoral methods, what goes on in people’s minds while voting has been neglected by academia until now. Michael Bruter, who has published widely in…

The two most common mental health issues, depression and anxiety, are also the leading cause of disability globally. The economic impact and societal ramifications are increasingly being recognised and a cultural and policy shift in the way mental health disorders are perceived and tackled is already underway. However, much remains…

How Forensic Architecture Reveals War’s Secrets Recent military conflicts such as the ongoing civil war in Syria have increasingly moved from the battlefield to urban spaces, rendering citizens as well as civilian structures in densely populated areas highly vulnerable to attacks and catastrophic violence. In many cases, urban conflict areas…

This interdisciplinary project links social neuroscience, cognitive psychology, robotics, AI and philosophy with potential for high societal impact. The project examines how the human brain processes social signals exhibited by artificial agents, such as humanoid robots, in order to improve robot design for human-robot interaction in general, and their acceptance…

The nominating institution Sophya on the breakthrough: The ENTIRE world is dearly missing the organic, face-to-face, synchronous interaction that was life before coronavirus. Today, schools, companies, teams, startups, and even families feel socially disconnected, isolated, lonely, and unproductive. Sophya solves these problems by combining breakthrough ‘social’ technology with the right…

“Fermenting Futures” explores the significance of yeast biotechnology from a cultural, ethical and aesthetic perspective, engaging audiences in the history and future of this under-recognised field and its potential to offer environmental solutions. The art installation explores and physically contains a CRISPR modified Pichia pastoris yeast that is simultaneously able…

How Computational Neuroscience Can Decode Thoughts and Actions When we look at a landscape, listen to a song or recall a memory, what is the exact choreography taking place across the various areas of the brain? – One of the most challenging aspects about the human brain is the question…

Nominated by: Cecile Henrich-Burkhardt, Technical University of Munich Presented by: Robert Macsics

Learners worldwide are canvasing the internet for help with fundamental courses that students take from junior year in high-school to junior year in college. Subjects like Composition, algebra, and chemistry serve as the foundational gateways on which students thrive or drop out of college. Study Hall aims to provide learners…