Congratulations to Peter Hegemann of Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Georg Nagel of The Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg, who have been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, together with US scientist Karl Deisseroth.

Their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics have opened new ways of studying how the brain works and how nerve cells can be controlled with light.

Peter Hegemann
Hegemann is Professor of Experimental Biophysics at HU Berlin, where his research continues to focus on optogenetics and related questions in neuroscience.
Georg Nagel
Nagel spent more than 20 years researching and teaching at JMU Würzburg, most recently as a Senior Professor until June 2026.

The interesting part for international students:

🎓 𝗔𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘀 for regular degree programmes. Students do pay a semester contribution, which includes student services and, at HU Berlin, public transport.

🌍 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿. Germany offers a growing number of degree programmes taught entirely in English.

💶 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁?

Both universities offer programmes in English, and international students can apply for DAAD German Academic Exchange Service scholarships to help cover living costs. For example, the DAAD Masters scholarship currently provides €992 per month. The Julius Maximilians University of Würzburg estimates students living costs at around €1,000 per month – making Germany a highly interesting option for students looking for high-level research and affordable study opportunities.

Of course, scholarships are competitive and eligibility varies by programme and country. But the basic message is worth knowing: 👉 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱-𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝘀.🪙