Dr Fabien Schultz is Young Academy Fellow of Akademie der Wissenschaften in Hamburg
Recognition for pioneering research on natural remedies: The Akademie der Wissenschaften in Hamburg (AdW) has admitted Dr Fabien Schultz, head of the junior research group Ethnopharmacology and Zoopharmacognosy at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine (BNITM), to its funding programme for outstanding early-career researchers.
At a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the Academy, Dr Fabien Schultz was formally welcomed — together with eight other researchers from northern Germany — as a Young Academy Fellow. The award recognises outstanding early-career scientists and integrates them into the academy’s interdisciplinary exchange and networking programmes.
Dr Schultz earned his PhD in bioanalytics with a focus on ethnopharmacology at TU Berlin in 2021, graduating summa cum laude. He subsequently worked as a visiting scientist at the UCL School of Pharmacy in London while establishing a small research group at the University of Applied Sciences Neubrandenburg. In 2022, he became the first German scientist to be included in the international list EC50 – Fifty People Who Are Changing the World. The Smithsonian Magazine later ranked one of his studies among the “most important discoveries in human evolution” of 2024.
At BNITM, Dr Schultz leads a junior research group investigating natural remedies derived from plants, fungi, insects and other natural sources. A particular focus lies on zoopharmacognosy — the study of how animals use plants or other natural substances for self-medication, such as chimpanzees, mountain gorillas or elephants. His research follows a participatory approach that actively involves Indigenous communities and adheres to benefit-sharing principles.
Dr Fabien Schultz: “I am very pleased to have been admitted to the Academy of Sciences in Hamburg as a Young Academy Fellow. It is a wonderful opportunity to further develop my research through exchange with other disciplines. Linking fundamental scientific research with ethical reflection has always been — and remains — a central concern of mine.”
Through its Young‑Academy‑Fellow‑Programme, the Akademie der Wissenschaften in Hamburg supports outstanding early-career researchers from northern Germany. Over a period of three years, it provides both financial and intellectual support and involves the fellows in the academy’s activities — for example in projects, events and working groups.
Contact person
Dr. Fabien Schultz
Research Group Leader
Phone : +49 40 285380-997
Email : fabien.schultz@bnitm.de
Julia Rauner
Public Relations
Phone : +49 40 285380-264
Email : presse@bnitm.de
Further information
