TUD Junior Professor Dorit Brixius receives the German L’Oréal UNESCO ‘For Women in Science’ Award

Dorit Brixius, Junior Professor of the History of Botany and Horticulture at TUD Dresden University of Technology, has been awarded the German L’Oréal UNESCO ‘For Women in Science’ Award. The prize, endowed with 25,000 euros, recognizes outstanding scientific achievements by early-career female researchers. The award ceremony took place on 16 September 2026 in Düsseldorf. 

Dorit Brixius’ work combines the history of science and medicine with botanical research, focusing in particular on women as active contributors to the production of knowledge. Her research ranges from 17th-century noblewomen who exchanged, developed and put into practice knowledge of cosmetics and personal care within their networks, through the history of the Dresden Botanical Garden in the 19th century, to the Jewish botanist Gertrud Tobler-Wolff (1877–1948), who, as a scientist and the wife of the former professor of botany at the Technical University, Friedrich Tobler, was herself part of Dresden’s scientific history. 

Currently, the Junior Professor is working on a French-Latin manuscript of around 300 pages containing cosmetic and fragrance recipes from the time of Louis XIV. In addition to numerous recipes for personal care and cosmetics, this historical source also includes fragrance compositions, amongst which is a particularly remarkable recipe for the French queen’s perfume. Brixius is investigating how this forgotten knowledge can be reconstructed and tested in practice. To this end, she combines historical source research with modern approaches, for example by using the European research database ‘Smell Explorer’ and engaging in dialogue with researchers from the fields of classical philology and the natural sciences. 

Receiving the FWIS Award is a special honor for Brixius: “The fact that I am receiving the FWIS Award, which is primarily aimed at women in STEM subjects, testifies to the relevance and innovation of my interdisciplinary yet historically grounded research projects. It honors me and supports me on my journey to conduct excellent research in line with the TUD’s guiding principles: collaborative – as I conduct research and teaching across the four faculties Philosophy, Biology, Chemistry, Medicine); Goal-oriented/inventive – as I pursue thematic short-term and long-term projects with precise objectives; transformative, as my transdisciplinary research demonstrates that disciplines must and can once again speak a common language in order to coalesce and become research-strong; and practice-oriented/engaged, as I have always been interested in what people did in the past, rather than what they thought.” 

Looking ahead, Brixius aims to further expand her transdisciplinary research and consciously break down the barriers between the humanities and the natural sciences. In doing so, historical knowledge is to be not only examined scientifically, but also creatively made accessible for research, teaching and the general public – for example, through the chemical reconstruction of historical recipes, as well as through exhibitions and events in the Dresden area. She also actively involves her students: for instance, a course she led has already produced podcasts on the history of medicine in the early modern period, which are due to be published in the future. 

About the ‘For Women in Science’ Award 

The ‘For Women in Science’ Award is presented by L’Oréal, the German Commission for UNESCO and the German Humboldt Network. Under the motto ‘The world needs science – and science needs women’, the L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO have been committed to promoting women in research since 1998. The ‘For Women in Science’ program, which has been firmly established in Germany since 2007, has already supported more than 4,700 female scientists worldwide, including seven who went on to win the Nobel Prize. In Germany, the program is organized in cooperation with the German Commission for UNESCO and the German Humboldt Network e.V.; more than 50 grants have now been awarded in this country. In 2026, Dorit Brixius is one of four early-career female scientists to be honored for their research achievements. 

© L'Oréal

Contact: 
Jun.-Prof.in Dr. Dorit Brixius 
Junior Professorship in History of Botany and Horticulture 
TU Dresden 
E-Mail:  
Tel. +49 351 463-32569