SRH Social Impact Thesis Awards 2026

The awards recognise theses that go beyond the academic context and engage with pressing societal challenges, whether in the areas of sustainability, equality, responsible leadership, diversity or social participation. By highlighting this work, the awards celebrate research that not only demonstrates academic excellence, but also offers valuable perspectives and concrete impulses for society and organisations.
 

Congratulations to this year’s awardees:
 

Franziska Kunze: Bachelor’s Thesis

Franziska Kunze was honoured for her outstanding bachelor’s thesis examining how the art market is responding to generative AI. Her research explores what happens to established concepts of authorship and value when AI-generated works become increasingly difficult to distinguish visually from human-made art. Drawing on interviews with key figures from across the art world, Franziska investigates how institutions and actors that traditionally determine artistic legitimacy are responding to these developments. Her work provides valuable insights into how generative AI is challenging established structures within the art market and raising fundamental questions about how art is valued and recognised.
 

Victoria Hoffmann: Master’s Thesis

The master’s award was presented to Victoria Hoffmann for her outstanding thesis on the gender pay gap in Germany and Luxembourg. Her research examines why the two neighbouring countries, despite operating within shared European equality frameworks, have made progress towards pay equity at different speeds. Victoria takes a comparative perspective to identify factors contributing to these differences and considers the potential role of the EU’s new pay transparency directive in addressing persistent inequalities in working life. Her research contributes to the ongoing discussion around equal pay and provides a differentiated perspective on one of the most enduring challenges facing modern workplaces.
 

Carina Keller: Dissertation

Carina Keller was honoured for her outstanding dissertation on organisational engagement with the climate crisis. Based on ethnographic fieldwork within an energy company, her research examines why individuals within organisations choose to engage with climate change and how they organise, redistribute and adapt their work in response to this global challenge. Going beyond questions of strategy and formal organisational structures, Carina’s research highlights the affective and relational dimensions underlying collective action. Her findings offer a deeper understanding of how organisations respond to complex societal challenges and how meaningful engagement with the climate crisis can emerge within everyday organisational life.

The SRH Social Impact Thesis Awards are made possible by the generous support of SRH, the owner of EBS Universität. SRH is a non-profit foundation based in Heidelberg and the holding company of a group with around 15,000 employees working across the healthcare, education and social sectors.

With the awards, EBS Universität and SRH recognise academic work that contributes to societal progress and demonstrates how research can extend beyond the university to address challenges in the wider world.

Congratulations to Franziska Kunze, Victoria Hoffmann and Carina Keller on their outstanding achievements and their valuable contributions to the discussion of important societal issues.
 

Image (from left): Carina Keller, Franziska Kunze, Victoria Hoffmann