Leibniz Dissertation Award for Lisa Budzinski
Microbiota fingerprint as the key to personalised medicine
On 3 December 2025, Dr Lisa Budzinski, from the Schwiete Laboratory for Microbiota and Inflammation at the DRFZ, was presented with the Leibniz Disseration Award in the category of ‘Natural Sciences and Technology’ for her doctoral thesis on the microbiota fingerprint in chronic inflammation.
In her research, Lisa Budzinski developed a novel approach that combines flow cytometry and artificial intelligence to analyse changes in the gut flora of people with chronic inflammatory diseases. This multiparametric microbiota flow cytometry enables the visualisation of cellular differences of bacteria in the stool of patients with chronic inflammatory disorders vs. healthy volunteers. These individual microbiome signatures – known as microbiota fingerprints – provide a basis for future personalised diagnostic and treatment approaches.
More about Lisa Budzinski
In addition to her scientific work, Lisa Budzinski is also actively engaged in science communication. She became German Science Slam Champion in 2022 and hosts TerraXplore, a series broadcast by ZDF. She has also championed equal opportunities as an equal opportunities officer at the DRFZ and developed the institute’s equality plan.
Leibniz Association Dissertation Award
Since 1997, the Leibniz Association has honoured outstanding doctoral achievements with its Dissertation Award. The prize has been awarded annually in the categories ‘Humanities and Social Sciences’ and ‘Natural Sciences and Technology’ since 2007, recognising two exceptional doctoral theses from its member institutes. Each award is endowed with 5,000 euros.
Schwiete Laboratory for Microbiota and Inflammation
