DAAS Award for an Outstanding Doctoral Thesis

Dr. Carla Kirschbaum, who completed her doctoral thesis titled "Lipid Fingerprinting by Mass Spectrometry and Laser Light" at the Free University of Berlin and the Fritz-Haber-Institut in the Department of Molecular Physics, has been awarded the DAAS Prize 2022.

The German Working Group for Analytical Spectroscopy (DAAS) of the GDCh Division of Analytical Chemistry justified the selection as follows:

"Ms. Kirschbaum's achievement is best illustrated by six awards and fifteen publications on the topic of analytical spectroscopy of lipids, some of which have appeared in the most prestigious journals. She was the first to employ cryogenic infrared action spectroscopy to study complex biomolecules. In particular, she was able to distinguish between isomers of glycolipids, sphingolipids, and fatty acids by their fingerprint in the infrared spectrum. Furthermore, Ms. Kirschbaum's achievement is notable for her engagement with a variety of analytical spectrometric techniques, such as tandem mass spectrometry, with which she impressively elucidated the mechanism of glycerolipid fragmentation."

The award was presented in 2023 during ANAKON in Vienna to recognize outstanding scientific work in the field of analytical spectroscopy, especially micro and trace analysis of elements and elemental species. It includes a certificate and a cash prize donated by Merck.

The colleagues at the Fritz-Haber-Institut congratulate Dr. Carla Kirschbaum on this well-deserved honor and wish her all the best for her future scientific endeavors.