Doctoral Graduation Ceremony, Summer Semester 2026 at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine:

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The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine celebrated its Doctoral Graduation Ceremony on Saturday, 25 July 2026, honouring its doctoral graduates and recognising outstanding scientific achievements. A total of 57 doctoral candidates were awarded their doctoral degrees. In addition, 12 Golden Doctorates were conferred upon alumni who had earned their doctorates from the Faculty 50 years ago.

During the ceremony, several prestigious research awards were presented.

The Selectavet Research Award 2026 was presented to Katharina Buchta for her dissertation, “Novel Clinical Presentations in Cats with Feline Infectious Peritonitis and Adverse Effects of Antiviral Therapy with GS-441524.” Her research makes an important contribution to improving our understanding of a disease that was long considered incurable in cats, as well as the effects of modern antiviral treatment.

The Brigitte and Wolfram Gedek Award 2025 was presented to Melanie Kämpfle for her dissertation, “Leishmania infantum Infections in Dogs in Germany.” Her work significantly advances our understanding of the distribution of Leishmania infantum infections in dogs in Germany. As this zoonotic disease is becoming increasingly relevant and continues to spread, the findings are of growing importance for both animal and public health.

The Ernst von Wnuck Research Award was presented to Dr Asghar Ali in recognition of his outstanding research in the field of veterinary cardiology.

The keynote lecture was delivered by Professor Martin Beer, Director of the Institute of Diagnostic Virology and Vice President of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute – Federal Research Institute for Animal Health on the Isle of Riems. In his lecture, entitled “Virus Hunting – Science Between Curiosity, Chance and Discovery,” he took the audience on a fascinating journey through the world of virology, illustrating how scientific discoveries emerge and how they contribute to safeguarding both animal and human health.

The ceremony was accompanied by a musical programme performed by the duo Yuki Kuwano (violin) and Yayoi Imada (violoncello).

With this annual ceremony, the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine not only honours the academic achievements of its doctoral graduates but also highlights the vital role of excellent research in shaping the future of veterinary medicine. The Faculty warmly congratulates all graduates and award recipients and wishes them every success in their future professional and scientific careers.