Dr Jenna Balaguer from GEOMAR (centre) and Dr Jonas Preine from Universität Hamburg (absent) received the Annette Barthelt Prize 2024. GEOMAR Director Professor Dr Katja Matthes (right) and Professor Dr Arne Körtzinger, Professor of Marine Biogeochemistry at GEOMAR and Chairman of the Annette Barthelt Foundation (left), congratulated the prizewinner. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Professor Dr. Arne Körtzinger, Professor of Marine Biogeochemistry at GEOMAR and Chairman of the Annette Barthelt Foundation, GEOMAR Director Professor Dr. Katja Matthes, Awardee Dr. Jenna Balaguer and the musicians Benjamin Wetzig and Vasylysa Martynova (from left). Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

With its annual award ceremony, the Annette Barthelt Foundation honours the achievements of young scientists and commemorates the researchers who lost their lives in a terrorist attack in Djibouti, Africa, on 18 March 1987. GEOMAR Director Professor Dr Katja Matthes recalled the tragic event in her welcoming address. Photo: Maike Nicolai

"Your work makes an important contribution to the study of the ocean from the seafloor to the atmosphere", emphasised GEOMAR Director Professor Dr. Katja Matthes. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Benjamin Wetzig and Vasylysa Martynova provided a musical backdrop to the award ceremony. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Dr Jenna Balaguer receives congratulations from Professor Dr Arne Körtzinger, 1st Chairman of the Annette Barthelt Foundation. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Dr Jenna Balaguer presents her doctoral thesis „Iron and Manganese Co-Limitation – A potential driver of Southern Ocean Phytoplankton ecology“ completed at Alfred Wegener and the University of Bremen. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Dr Jonas Preine was unable to attend the award ceremony and presented his doctoral thesis on the volcanic-tectonic development of the Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo marine volcanic field completed at the University of Hamburg via video. Photo: Maike Nicolai

GEOMAR marine biologist Dr Jan Dierking presented the first results of his recently completed expedition in the keynote speech. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Dr. Jenna Balaguer. Photo: Jenna Balaguer

Jonas Preine. Foto: Christian Rohleder, Deutscher Wetterdienst

Annette Barthelt Prize honours outstanding theses

Two young marine scientists receive grants for their research

22 March 2024/Kiel. Today, two young scientists are awarded the Annette Barthelt Prize for their outstanding doctoral theses at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. This year's winners are Dr Jenna Balaguer for her work on the role of micronutrients for phytoplankton growth in the Antarctic and Dr Jonas Preine for his work on the evolution of the marine volcanic field in the southern Aegean. With this award, the Annette Barthelt Foundation commemorates for the 37th time four scientists from Kiel who were killed in a terrorist attack in Djibouti, Africa, on 18 March 1987. The award comes with a research grant of 6000 euros, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Every spring, the Annette Barthelt Prize for Marine Research is awarded to young scientists at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel. With this prize, the Annette Barthelt Foundation honours the victims of the 1987 terrorist attack in the African port city of Djibouti: Annette Barthelt, Daniel Reinschmidt, Marco Buchalla and Hans-Wilhelm Halbeisen. The young scientists had travelled to Djibouti to take part in an expedition of the research vessel METEOR in the Indian Ocean. On 18 March 1987, they were on the terrace of the restaurant where the bomb attack took place. The researchers' surviving dependants set up the Annette Barthelt Foundation in 1988.

“Even after 37 years, the four researchers are still unforgotten,” says Professor Arne Körtzinger, Professor of Marine Biogeochemistry at GEOMAR and Chairman of the Annette Barthelt Foundation. “With the foundation's awards, we want to keep the memory of the victims of the terrorist attack alive. At the same time, we want to honour the important contribution that young talents in marine research make to a better understanding of the ocean system.”

At this year's award ceremony, which takes place today for the first time at the new GEOMAR extension building, Dr Jenna Balaguer and Dr Jonas Preine will be honoured for their outstanding dissertations. “I congratulate the two researchers on the Annette Barthelt Prize”, says Professor Dr Katja Matthes, Director of GEOMAR. “Their work makes an important contribution to the study of the ocean from the seafloor to the atmosphere. A big thank you also goes to the Foundation, which once again emphasises the importance of ship-based research.”

The winners of the Annette Barthelt Prize 2024:

Dr Jenna Balaguer, born on 9 November 1993, completed her PhD thesis entitled “Iron and Manganese Co-Limitation – A potential driver of Southern Ocean Phytoplankton ecology” at the Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research in Bremerhaven and the University of Bremen. In her PhD thesis, Jenna Balaguer investigated the co-limitation of iron and manganese in relation to phytoplankton growth in the Southern Ocean under the supervision of Dr Scarlett Trimborn (AWI). During and after the PS124 expedition with the research vessel POLARSTERN in 2021, she conducted various culture experiments with dominant species of the Southern Ocean. Such experiments with trace metals such as iron and manganese are very challenging. She was able to show that the availability of manganese in the presence of iron can favour certain microalgae species and thus influence the composition of the plankton community and carbon export. Dr Jenna Balaguer is currently a postdoctoral researcher at GEOMAR in Kiel.

Dr Jonas Preine, born on 22 April 1994, wrote his PhD thesis entitled “Volcano-tectonic Evolution of the Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo Marine Volcanic Field / Central Aegean Sea” at the Department of Geophysics at the University of Hamburg. Under the supervision of Professor Dr Christian Hübscher and Dr Paraskevi Nomikou (University of Athens), Jonas Preine worked on reflection seismic data of the Hellenic volcanic island arc of the southern Aegean. His work traces the volcano-tectonic evolution of the volcanic chain, with Santorini at its centre, over a period of three million years. To do this, he analysed data collected on board the research vessel POSEIDON during the POS538 expedition in 2019, as well as data collected during five previous cruises. Particular attention is paid to the recent history of destructive volcanic eruptions, which have influenced the development of late bronze age human cultures not only on Crete, but in the entire region. Based on these findings, the dissertation highlights the need for future early warning and risk mitigation measures for the island of Santorin. Jonas Preine is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Geophysics at the University of Hamburg.

Project funding:

The Annette Barthelt Prize comes with a research grant of 6,000 euros, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Dr Jenna Balaguer was funded by the German Research Foundation as a doctoral student under the Priority Programme 1158 – Antarctic Research (TR-899-4). Her current postdoctoral position in the Ocean Glow project led by Dr Thomas J. Browning is funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant.

Funding Dr Jonas Preine was funded by the German Research Foundation as a doctoral student (Grant number: 434763330). His current postdoctoral position at the University of Hamburg is funded by the German Research Foundation under the IODP (International Ocean Discovery Program) Priority program (Grant number: 506199584)

Annette-Barthelt-Preis 2024

Dr Jenna Balaguer from GEOMAR (centre) and Dr Jonas Preine from Universität Hamburg (absent) received the Annette Barthelt Prize 2024. GEOMAR Director Professor Dr Katja Matthes (right) and Professor Dr Arne Körtzinger, Professor of Marine Biogeochemistry at GEOMAR and Chairman of the Annette Barthelt Foundation (left), congratulated the prizewinner. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Professor Dr. Arne Körtzinger, Professor of Marine Biogeochemistry at GEOMAR and Chairman of the Annette Barthelt Foundation, GEOMAR Director Professor Dr. Katja Matthes, Awardee Dr. Jenna Balaguer and the musicians Benjamin Wetzig and Vasylysa Martynova (from left). Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Professor Dr. Arne Körtzinger, Professor of Marine Biogeochemistry at GEOMAR and Chairman of the Annette Barthelt Foundation, GEOMAR Director Professor Dr. Katja Matthes, Awardee Dr. Jenna Balaguer and the musicians Benjamin Wetzig and Vasylysa Martynova (from left). Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

GEOMAR Director Professor Dr Katja Matthes

With its annual award ceremony, the Annette Barthelt Foundation honours the achievements of young scientists and commemorates the researchers who lost their lives in a terrorist attack in Djibouti, Africa, on 18 March 1987. GEOMAR Director Professor Dr Katja Matthes recalled the tragic event in her welcoming address. Photo: Maike Nicolai

[Translate to English:] GEOMAR-Direktorin Professorin Dr. Katja Matthes

"Your work makes an important contribution to the study of the ocean from the seafloor to the atmosphere", emphasised GEOMAR Director Professor Dr. Katja Matthes. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Benjamin Wetzig und Vasylysa Martynova

Benjamin Wetzig and Vasylysa Martynova provided a musical backdrop to the award ceremony. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Annette-Barthelt-Preis 2024

Dr Jenna Balaguer receives congratulations from Professor Dr Arne Körtzinger, 1st Chairman of the Annette Barthelt Foundation. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Dr. Jenna Balaguer

Dr Jenna Balaguer presents her doctoral thesis „Iron and Manganese Co-Limitation – A potential driver of Southern Ocean Phytoplankton ecology“ completed at Alfred Wegener and the University of Bremen. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Annette-Barthelt-Preis 2024

Dr Jonas Preine was unable to attend the award ceremony and presented his doctoral thesis on the volcanic-tectonic development of the Christiana-Santorini-Kolumbo marine volcanic field completed at the University of Hamburg via video. Photo: Maike Nicolai

Annette-Barthelt-Preis 2024

GEOMAR marine biologist Dr Jan Dierking presented the first results of his recently completed expedition in the keynote speech. Photo: Maike Nicolai, GEOMAR

Dr. Jenna Balaguer

Dr. Jenna Balaguer. Photo: Jenna Balaguer

Jonas Preine

Jonas Preine. Foto: Christian Rohleder, Deutscher Wetterdienst

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