The highest award that TUM can bestow, the Golden Ring of Honor, was awarded to TUM-IAS Director Michael Molls. He receives the award in recognition of his many years of service to science. From 1992 to 2014, Michael Molls was Professor and Director of the Clinic for Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology at the hospital Rechts der Isar of the Technical University of Munich (TUM). As co-spokesperson, Michael Molls has been responsible for the biomedical research area of the Munich Center for Advanced Photonics (MAP), a Cluster of Excellence of the German Research Foundation. In 2016, he was elected as chairperson of the TUM Senior Excellence Faculty, with a seat on the TUM Extended Board of Management and the Board of TUM. Since 2020, he has served as Director of the TUM Institute for Advanced Study (TUM-IAS).
TUM President Thomas Hofmann said: “Although he officially “retired” more than 10 years ago, his commitment remains undiminished. As Director of the TUM Institute for Advanced Study and Speaker of the TUM Senior Excellence Faculty, he continues to be one of the most dynamic and creative minds at our university. His work is living proof that scientific excellence and innovation are timeless.”
The Golden Ring of Honor of the TUM is a prestigious award that is presented to persons who have far surpassed their duty in making outstanding contributions to research, teaching, the promotion of young scientists, or educational and university policy. Personalities such as Eberhard von Kuenheim (former CEO of BMW AG) or Rudolf L. Mößbauer (Nobel Prize Physics 1961) are also recipients of the Golden Ring of Honour.