Press release: Göttingen University successful again at Lower Saxony Science Awards
No. 180 - 14.11.2025
Prize for development economist Professor Sebastian Vollmer
Göttingen University’s Professor of Development Economics, Sebastian Vollmer has been awarded Lower Saxony’s Wissenschaftspreis 2025. The panel recognised his achievements in the category Anwendungsorientierte Forschung (applied research). Lower Saxony's Minister for Science and Culture, Falko Mohrs, presented the prizes on Thursday 13 November 2025 in Hannover. The award is worth 25,000 euros.
According to the panel: “Vollmer's research addresses acute global challenges and his findings are immediately relevant to policymakers, international organisations and development programmes. The impact of his work on global population health is outstanding and of immense importance. Vollmer has an excellent international network and has been able to publish his ground-breaking research in prestigious journals.”
Sebastian Vollmer, born in 1980, is Professor of Development Economics and Global Health at the University of Göttingen. His research focuses on the economic and social causes and consequences of poor health, access to medical care for cardio-metabolic diseases in the Global South, the effects of nutritional interventions on child development, and the long-term determinants of economic development. Vollmer studied mathematics and economics at the University of Göttingen, where he also completed his PhD in economics. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University, a visiting lecturer in economics at Dartmouth College, and an adjunct professor of global health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He regularly serves as a consultant for international organisations such as the World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO, WFP and FAO. His awards include the KfW Development Bank Prize for outstanding achievements in applied development research and the Science Prize of the German Society for Health Economics.
This award recognises the achievements of individuals who, in addition to outstanding achievements in research and teaching, have made a significant contribution to the development of higher education in Lower Saxony. Prizes are also given to students who, in addition to outstanding academic achievements, are involved in other areas, such as student self-government or voluntary work.
Contact:
Professor Sebastian Vollmer
University of Göttingen
Professor of Development Economics
Centre for Modern Indian Studies
Waldweg 26, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Tel: +49 (0)551 39-28170
Email: svollmer@uni-goettingen.de